Emmitt Smith gives hot take on Jerry Jones' role in Cowboys' Super Bowl drought

Jerry Jones and some Dallas Cowboys legends are out tonight for a special "Blue Carpet" premiere of the upcoming Netflix docuseries America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, which will focus on the story of Jerry Jones buying the NFL franchise and leading it to a dynasty in the 1990s.

It will premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, August 19, according to a release from the streaming service. An official trailer for the docuseries was revealed at the end of 2024.

For the 8-episode project, Netflix teamed up with Skydance Sports and NFL Films, in association with Stardust Frames Productions.

MORE: Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys Netflix docuseries drops official trailer

During the premiere, media got to chop it up with some of the team's legends, with The Athletic's Jon Machota getting to have a quick chat with Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. The three-time Super Bowl champ, Super Bowl MVP, and NFL MVP was asked for his thoughts on Jerry Jones' role in the team's Super Bowl drought, which has lasted nearly 30 years.

Smith had quite the hot take.

Emmitt Smith when asked about Jerry Jones’ role in the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought pic.twitter.com/e1CmR6AKSW
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 12, 2025

While most fans will place the blame on Jerry, Smith thinks that the players need to shoulder some of the blame for their failures.

"Jerry never caught a pass. He never ran a ball, and he damn sure didn't throw one," Smith said. "So, at some point, players got to take on ownership of what they've been trained and what they've been taught to do."

MORE: 5 Cowboys legends who finished their career with another franchise

This echoes comments from the Opening Ceremony at training camp, where Cowboys legend Charles Haley said that Jerry Jones' main focus is to win (which fans weren't buying).

If that's the case, let's see how the 2025 Cowboys turn out. In the meantime, get ready to watch the Jerry Show on Netflix in just over a week.

Dallas Cowboys former running back Emmitt Smith with owner Jerry Jones after being presented his Hall of Fame ring | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

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