Cowboys keep saying Super Bowl like it will just show up

Camp opened Tuesday, and it turns out three decades without a championship will make a team a little chatty about the subject.

Jerry Jones sat at the podium next to EVP Stephen Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and by the time it wrapped, someone had counted the words “Super Bowl” 10 separate times.

Jerry alone said it five times, which tracks. Stephen added three more, and Schottenheimer tossed in two, presumably so nobody could accuse him of underselling the goal.

Ten mentions before a single padded practice is quite a way to open the year.

It’s almost like saying the phrase enough times will make it stick.

The “Super Bowl or bust” talk has followed this team all offseason, and hearing it repeated at the podium in stereo made it sound less like a plan and more like a wish being said out loud.

Just when it seemed like the whole presser might stay on brand, Jerry switched gears entirely.

He confirmed trade talks are open ahead of the opener and said he’s already been in contact with another NFL owner.

Eyebrows were raised when he also said he would trade away future assets for the right player, calling that kind of piece “substantive.”

“I’d give up the future to substitute where we are today,” Jones said. “As to a player, to give you an idea about what I’d invest, something substantive, to get the right kind of deal and improve us for Opening Day? I would.”

From there he just kept talking, because a short answer has never really been Jerry’s thing.

“I may have been trying to get a little of both in: a little for today, but also save a little for tomorrow. But then, you end up with a little milk toast sometimes. When that happens for you, you need to be a little more definitive. I will domino. I will lay it out there.

“It’s not a threat. It’s just that I will shoot. So, yeah, we’re very capable, if we get the opportunity to improve it by doing it. My message simply is that I feel good enough about this thing to give up some of the future, if the opportunity comes up.”

Everyone already picked name for that trade

Fans wasted no time connecting the dots to Maxx Crosby, wondering if that whole storyline might reopen.

Nobody actually knows who Jerry has circled, though that has never once slowed down a fan base with a group chat.

In fairness, this front office has followed through before. Dallas added Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary ahead of last year’s trade deadline.

Handing over a heavy package for Williams looked like a lot in the moment, though that trade should still pay off over time.

Even so, this fan base has heard “all-in” promises before that led nowhere fast. It’s fair to slow down here. Jerry’s comments sound a lot more like a front office keeping its options open than a deal sitting one signature away.

Nick Harris, who covers the team for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, offered a much steadier read once the cameras stopped rolling.

“In talking to some folks and listening back to the presser, this sounds more like the Cowboys doing their early due diligence to get a view on what could be or could not be available ahead of the season,” Harris said.

He did throw fans a small bone at the end.

“However, that’s a good sign if you’re in the camp of wanting this team to improve via trade in the coming weeks. That’s an intentional approach to potentially improve the roster. I’m just saying I wouldn’t hold your breath on something massive to pop in the next few days.”

Time for talking to turn into football

Say what you want about the Super Bowl chatter, but it beats the alternative.

It’s a lot easier to sit through talk about adding pieces than to relive locker room tension or watch a star ship out to a division rival, which is exactly what happened when the team parted ways with Micah Parsons.

Dallas finally hits the field Wednesday afternoon for its first practice of camp, meaning the podium talk has to start showing up in pads.

That session should offer the first real hint at which roster spots need the most work, and whether any of this trade buzz has legs.

Repeating “Super Bowl” 10 times at a podium doesn’t move the needle on the scoreboard.

It does at least prove everyone in that building is aiming at the same target this time around.

Key takeaways

• The phrase “Super Bowl” was said 10 times at the Cowboys camp opener, with Jerry Jones alone responsible for five mentions.
• Jerry Jones confirmed trade talks are already open before the season opener, including contact with another NFL owner.
• Insider Nick Harris says the trade talk looks like early groundwork rather than a deal close to being finished.