Jerry Jones Reveals How Cowboys Nearly Hired Sean Payton Ahead of Broncos Matchup
As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to face the Denver Broncos in Week 8, owner Jerry Jones revealed that the Cowboys almost hired Sean Payton a few years ago.
For decades, the Cowboys owner has admired Payton’s offensive mind, dating back to their shared time in Dallas under Bill Parcells.
As CBS Sports noted, Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan this week that the stars never quite aligned between the two.
“Several times. It just never fit,” Jones said. “He was never there when we needed to be thinking about making a change. The timing never fit. He’s certainly one of the better coaches that I’ve been around in my career.”
Jones first hired Payton in 2003 as Parcells’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach, where the young offensive mind quickly made an impression.
By 2006, however, Payton took his talents to
From afar, Jones watched him build a Super Bowl-winning resume with the Saints, becoming one of the most respected coaches in modern football.
Even now, nearly 20 years later, Jones still speaks about Payton as a coach who could have defined an era in Dallas.
“We’ve always had a tremendous respect for his ability to coach a team in every respect,” Jones added. “I thought before he ever was a head coach that it probably would happen here.”
How Dallas Almost Landed Payton
The Cowboys’ pursuit of Payton wasn’t just a rumor. Jones truly believed he’d one day lead America’s Team.
Payton’s background in Dallas, paired with his offensive pedigree, made him an ideal candidate for the position.
But timing proved to be the undoing.
Each time the Cowboys faced a potential coaching transition, Payton was either under contract or in the midst of playoff runs in New Orleans.
In the offseason of 2023, there were rumblings that the Cowboys would fire head coach Mike McCarthy and look towards Sean Payton once again.
But Jerry never pulled the trigger and McCarthy remained the Dallas head coach up until he was let go this past offseason.
This week’s matchup only intensifies that storyline: two of the NFL’s biggest names who almost joined forces years ago are now facing off on opposite sidelines, each trying to lead his team toward the playoffs.
Payton’s Broncos Rise
Now leading the Broncos (5-2), Payton has reestablished his reputation after a rocky first year in Denver.
Last year, Payton led the Broncos 10-7 record, leading the team to their first playoff appearance since 2015. The team has now won five of its last six, including a dramatic comeback against the
The Broncos are now first place in the AFC West.
In just two years, Payton took a team that won just five games in 2022 to a team that has Super Bowl aspirations and has built a really solid core of stars led by quarterback
The Broncos will look to keep their momentum going against the Cowboys this Sunday.
As the Cowboys travel to Denver, Jerry Jones makes it clear that “there’s no bitterness, just recognition of what might have been.“There’s no coach we think more of, or respect more, than Sean Payton,” Jones said.
Sunday’s game carries big stakes for both sides, with each team fighting to stay on track in the playoff race.
Nico Hoerner And Cubs Claim Prestigious Defensive Awards
The Chicago Cubs had one of the finest defensive seasons in Major League Baseball in 2025. In the eyes of one publication, they were the best.
The Fielding Bible has been presenting awards for the league’s top defensive players for the past 20 years. In 2023, the publication added a defensive player of the year. This season, it added a defensive team of the year. The Cubs earned the team award, while second baseman Nico Hoerner was also selected for a position award.
The Cubs reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020 by claiming a National League wild card berth. They defeated the San Diego Padres in the wild card round before losing a five-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers in the division series. The Brewers went on to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
In winning the site’s first team-based award, the Fielding Bible pointed out that the Cubs had 84 total defensive runs saved. The only team better in the category was the Texas Rangers at 89. The Rangers set a Major League record for fielding percentage in a season.
In giving the award to the Cubs, Fielding Bible’s editorial lead Mark Simon wrote that Chicago was the only team with a positive DRS from eight of its nine defensive positions. Right field was the only one not in the positive.
That included Hoerner, who led all second basemen in DRS. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, considered one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, was second in DRS at his position. Left field Ian Happ and starting pitcher Matthew Boyd were third in DRS at their positions while third baseman Matt Shaw was fourth.
That balance won out over the Rangers’ historic fielding percentage and league-leading DRS.
"Cubs management built a team that prides itself in defensive excellence and that showed up all over the field," Simon wrote. "They were especially strong up the middle and at some of the game's most important positions.”
Not surprisingly, six Cubs are finalists for National League Gold Gloves, with the awards to be announced next month. Chicago finalists include Hoerner, Shaw, Happ, Boyd, Crow-Armstrong and catcher Carson Kelly,
In selecting Hoerner, he became the second Cubs second baseman to win the award, along with Darwin Barney in 2012. Hoerner had 17 DRS to lead all second baseman and charged an MLB-best 15 plays saved better than the average second baseman on balls hit to his right, per Fielding Bible.
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