Owning an NFL team requires enough money to purchase a small country and enough restraint to let qualified football people do their jobs.
Some NFL owners only meet the first requirement.
There is nothing wrong with an owner being involved. Problems begin when involvement becomes interference, and every football decision must pass through someone whose primary qualification is possessing an absurd bank account.
These three NFL owners have repeatedly crossed that line.
Honorable mention: Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder no longer owns the Washington Commanders, which keeps him out of the top three. Had he remained, he would have challenged Jerry Jones for first place without breaking a sweat.
Snyder meddled in personnel decisions, chased expensive names and oversaw one of the NFL’s most toxic organizations. Coaches and executives changed regularly, the stadium deteriorated and the franchise became an embarrassment away from the field.
He represented nearly everything an NFL owner should avoid becoming. Washington’s improvement after his departure has made that even clearer.
Sometimes the best move an owner can make is stepping back. In Snyder’s case, it was selling the team.
3. David Tepper, Carolina Panthers
David Tepper bought the Panthers in 2018 with a reputation for being aggressive and unwilling to tolerate losing.
Then Carolina discovered that “impatient billionaire” is not necessarily the ideal recipe for building a football team.
The Panthers cycled through head coaches, quarterbacks and organizational plans. Ron Rivera was fired during the 2019 season. Matt Rhule lasted less than three years despite receiving a seven-year contract. Frank Reich was dismissed after only 11 games.
Carolina finally returned to the playoffs in 2025, albeit with an 8-9 record, but that does not erase the chaos. The Panthers went through seven head coaches, including interim appointments, during Tepper’s first eight seasons.
The Panthers may finally be stabilizing. Tepper’s challenge is resisting the urge to “help.”
2. Woody Johnson, New York Jets
The Jets have tried new general managers, coaches, quarterbacks, uniforms and almost everything else short of changing ownership.
Woody Johnson remains.
Johnson purchased the Jets in 2000. The organization has since become better known for quarterback disasters and front-office dysfunction than postseason football. The Jets have not reached the playoffs since the 2010 season.
Reports about Johnson’s involvement in football decisions have followed the franchise for years. Rather than providing stability, he has helped create an organization where authority is rarely clear.
Johnson also publicly blamed quarterback Justin Fields during New York’s 0-7 start in 2025, saying the offense would look better if the Jets could “complete a pass.” Fields was struggling, but an owner burying his quarterback publicly accomplished little besides feeding the tabloids.
When everyone except the owner keeps changing, it becomes difficult to blame the latest person carrying a clipboard.
1. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones is not merely involved. He is also the Cowboys’ general manager, lead negotiator and primary spokesperson.
Jones helped turn Dallas into the most valuable sports franchise in the world. The Cowboys also won three Super Bowls during the 1990s after he purchased the team.
Then his relationship with Jimmy Johnson deteriorated, the dynasty disappeared and Dallas began a drought that has reached 30 years without an NFC Championship Game appearance.
Jones has remained general manager through every failed coach, disappointing playoff exit and botched negotiation. He delayed extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, allowing their prices to climb. His standoff with Micah Parsons ended with Dallas trading one of the NFL’s best defensive players.
Any other general manager with that postseason record would have been fired several times. Jones cannot fire himself, and the owner apparently has complete confidence in the GM.
Convenient arrangement.
