JUMP TO:
- How much did Jerry Jones pay for the Cowboys?
- When did Jerry Jones buy the Cowboys?
- How did Jerry Jones make his money?
- How much are the Cowboys worth today?
- Jerry Jones net worth 2025
The Cowboys haven't reached the NFC championship game in three decades, but there's no doubt Jerry Jones has built an empire in Dallas in spite of a lack of playoff success.
Rather than on the field or in the trophy case, that empire has been reflected in the brand and the numbers in recent years. The Cowboys are the most valuable professional sports franchise in the world, according to Forbes, and they have skyrocketed in value since Jones took the reins in the 1980s.
Thanks to their championship success in the 1990s, the Cowboys have fans all across the U.S. and even the world, making the star one of the most recognizable symbols in sports even as the franchise struggles to approach that success today.
Here's a look back at what Jones paid for the Cowboys and how much the team is worth today.
MORE: Ranking the 18 greatest Cowboys players in history
How much did Jerry Jones pay for the Cowboys?
Jones paid $140 million to purchase the Cowboys from Bum Bright in 1989. Dallas won three Super Bowls in the following six seasons, leading the franchise to skyrocket in value and instantly prove to be a wise investment for the oil tycoon.
MORE: Revisiting the Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s
When did Jerry Jones buy the Cowboys?
Jones purchased the Cowboys in early 1989. He fired legendary coach Tom Landry the day after the sale was finalized and instead hired former Arkansas teammate Jimmy Johnson, who had been serving as the head coach at the University of Miami.
While Jones came under instant criticism for that decision and didn't exactly endear himself to fans when the team went 1-15 in 1989, Dallas' ascent to a dynasty in the early 1990s made Jones one of the most recognizable owners in the NFL.
MORE: Inside Jerry Jones' family tree
How did Jerry Jones make his money?
Jones worked for his father's various businesses while growing up and at one point founded a pizza business, but he found his success in the oil industry. Jones Oil and Land Lease, founded in Arkansas, became a rousing success and gave Jones the money needed to make a purchase as dramatic as the Dallas Cowboys. The company spread to different cities, even reaching Canada, and Jones' wealth grew from there.
Jones actually attempted to purchase the Chargers when he was in his 20s with the help of a loan from Jimmy Hoffa, but his father convinced him to back out of the deal. Jones said he was "shattered" by his father's decision, but he remained steadfast in his goal of owing an NFL team and got a deal done after building a fortune in the oil industry.
MORE: Jerry Jones timeline of contract disputes
How much are the Cowboys worth today?
The Cowboys are worth $13 billion, as of 2025, according to Forbes' valuation of the franchise. That is nearly 93 times the $140 million Jones paid to acquire the team.
While inflation plays a role in that figure, the continued rise of the NFL combined with the Cowboys' massive success in the early 1990s helped fuel the team's value boom. The dynasty created a generation of Cowboys fans across the U.S., and those young fans from the 1990s can still be found three decades later still cheering on the team that dominated the headlines before the turn of the century.
The star remains one of the most recognizable symbols in sports, but the success on the field has been sporadic ever since. While the Cowboys have enjoyed plenty of winning in the regular season, a lack of playoff success has perhaps prevented Dallas from rocketing beyond that massive $13 billion valuation.
MORE: What to know about Jones' history with Stage 4 melanoma
Jerry Jones net worth 2025
Jones has a net worth of $19.6 billion, according to Forbes, which ranks him as the 114th richest person in the world.
That makes Jones one of the wealthiest owners in the NFL, though the Walton-Penner family easily leads the way as the owners of the Denver Broncos.
MORE: What to know about Jerry Jones' investments, philanthropy and more