By Blessing 
Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, has found himself under fire from sports journalist Skip Bayless for passing on veteran coach Pete Carroll as the team’s new head coach. After parting ways with Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys were in search of a new leader. Reports suggested the team had discussions with Carroll, but in a surprising move, they promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the head coach position instead.
Skip Bayless didn’t hold back, taking to social media platform X to express his frustration with Jones. According to Bayless, the reports about Carroll being considered were nothing more than a PR stunt by Jones.
“Jerry Jones is slick. He knows how to play that PR game. So now he has leaked word that he talked to Pete Carroll. Didn’t bring him in for an interview. He talked to Pete Carroll just so he could tell everybody after he hires Brian Schottenheimer, well, ‘I did talk to old Pete, but we didn’t really come to any sort of conclusion about anything.’ Stop it. Jerry, I’ve heard enough,” Bayless posted.
Bayless went on to argue that Jones would never seriously consider Carroll because the veteran coach wouldn’t let Jones have the level of control he desires. “He’s just too charismatic for you, Jerry. You couldn’t run over Pete Carroll, you couldn’t tell him what to do. You couldn’t order him. You couldn’t demand. He would take over your franchise. And then when he won, and I believe he would win very quickly, he would get almost all the credit, maybe not Deion (Sanders) kind of credit, but almost all the credit would go to Pete Carroll,” Bayless continued.
While Jones chose not to pursue Carroll, the 73-year-old coach has found a new home with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he has been named head coach. Carroll, who previously served as a senior advisor for the Seattle Seahawks during the last NFL season, is now one of the league’s oldest active coaches.
Jones’ decision to promote Schottenheimer has also drawn criticism from former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, who claimed on X that the Cowboys “aren’t serious about winning.” Griffin’s comments echo the sentiments of many fans and analysts who believe Jones has grown complacent and is more focused on maintaining control than achieving greatness.
Some have even suggested that Jones is prioritizing a safe pick over an ambitious one, sparking further doubts about the Cowboys’ future under his leadership. Despite the backlash, Jones remains steadfast in his decision, leaving many to wonder if the Cowboys can still compete at the highest level.