Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn’t a stranger to controversy. Jones bought “America’s Team” in 1989 and ushered the franchise to three Super Bowl rings, but he has a “love-him-or-hate-him” reputation with fans and football players alike.
Yet, people rallied behind the 82-year-old Jones on Aug. 13 when he revealed his previously private battle with advanced melanoma. Jones discusses his diagnosis in “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” a documentary series that dropped on Netflix on Aug. 19. But Jones told The Dallas Morning News that he first learned of his cancer diagnosis in June of 2010 and has had four surgeries (two lung and two on his lymph nodes) because the cancer spread to other body parts. He credits PD-1 (therapy), which he received while participating in a trial, for helping him. First-year Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who also had cancer, praised Jones for opening up and called his story “amazing.”
It’s great that Jones is feeling healthier these days and that he can enjoy the life he’s built for himself over the years. The NFL owner has made billions — with a B — from the Cowboys, oil drilling and other shrewd investments. What’s Jerry Jones’ net worth ahead of the Cowboys’ first game against rival, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, on Thursday, Sept. 4? Keep reading to learn how Jones has run up the score at the bank.
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How did Jerry Jones get his start?
Jerry Jones took his first job as a customer greeter at his parents’ store, Pat’s Supermarket, when he was 9 years old, according to Forbes. Although he was born in Los Angeles, Jones spent most of his childhood in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Football is far more than a business venture to Jones, who fell in love with the sport at a young age and was a high school star. He went on to play offensive lineman at the University of Arkansas, where he co-captained the team that won a national championship in 1964.
However, Jones made his first million as an oil wildcatter, beginning in the 1970s, and continues to invest in drilling and real estate. Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys from Burn Bright in 1989.
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What is Jerry Jones’ net worth?
Jerry Jones has a multi-billion-dollar net worth. Forbes estimates Jerry Jones’ net worth at $16.2 billion, while Celebrity Net Worth puts it at around $13 billion. Any way you cut it, the Big D owner is a Big B billionaire.
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How is Jerry Jones so rich?
Jones counts the Cowboys as his most valuable asset. He purchased the team from Burn Bright in 1989. Forbes currently values the Cowboys at $10 billion.
Jones didn’t make friends in the Lone Star State when his first order of business was to fire legendary coach Tom Landry, who led the Cowboys to a pair of Super Bowls, on day one. Jones replaced Landry with his old college teammate and recently retired broadcaster Jimmy Johnson. But Johnson made Jones look like a genius when he won the AP Coach of the Year honor in 1990 and led the Cowboys to two of the three Super Bowls they won with Jones in the owner’s box. (The Triplets of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin helped—a lot).
But the team’s success is only a part of Jones’ financial winnings with the Cowboys. The owner helped change the game on how the NFL handles sponsorships. NFL policy gave the league near total control over sponsorship inventory. Jones signed deals with American Express, Nike and Pepsi, even though the NFL had agreements with Visa, Reebok and Coca-Cola. The saga’s TL;DR: The two sides sued each other but dropped the suits, and the Cowboys kept their deals and dough, per Sportico. Sportico reports that the Cowboys generated $250 million in sponsorship revenue in 2023, and Forbes named the franchise the NFL’s most valuable for the seventh-straight year in 2024.
While Jones’ stake in the Cowboys is his largest holding in 2025, he first achieved success as an oil wildcatter, earning his first million in the 1970s. Jones continues to invest in drilling projects and became a controlling shareholder of Comstock Resources in 2018.
Jones also invests in residential real estate and collects art. He reportedly owns Picasso paintings.
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How much did Jerry Jones pay for the Cowboys, and what is the franchise worth now?
Jones paid $150 million for the Cowboys in 1989. As of 2025, the Cowboys are worth an estimated $10 billion, making them the world’s most valuable sports franchise.
Who is the richest owner in the NFL?
Denver Broncos owner Rob Walton and his family are the richest owners in the NFL, according to Front Office Sports. The Walton family’s $113 billion net worth also includes control of mega-retailer Walmart. David Tepper (Carolina Panthers, $21.3 billion), Stephen Ross (Miami Dolphins, $18.4 billion), Stan Kroenke (Los Angeles Rams, $18 billion) and Jerry Jones round out the top five. Jones’ Cowboys are considered the league’s most valuable franchise at $10 billion.
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What percent of the Cowboys does Jerry Jones own?
Jones and his wife reportedly own a 51% stake in the Cowboys. His three adult children control the other 49%.
How much does Jerry Jones make per game?
Jones does not make a salary per game. His earnings come from the team’s successes — and not Super Bowls, per se (although winning never hurts). Revenue streams, such as sponsorships, ticket sales and media deals, are among the factors that contribute to the Cowboys’ financial revenue. Jones, a 51% owner of the Cowboys along with his wife, likely takes a significant share of the profits. The Cowboys are the world’s most valuable sports franchise, valued at $10 billion, so Jones is doing pretty well. Additionally, he earns money from other ventures, including oil and residential real estate. So, Jones is doing well, even when the Cowboys aren’t.
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How big is the Jerry Jones yacht?
Jones owns a 357-foot super yacht worth $250 million named Bravo Eugenia for his wife, Gene. He used the vessel as his “war room” during the pandemic-affected 2020 NFL draft (NFL Commissioner Robert Goodell opted to log onto the draft from his basement.)
Jerry Jones’ draft room is on his $250 million super-yacht. Now that’s a super-flex. pic.twitter.com/ZJwgrUcehX
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) April 24, 2020
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