Jerry Jones Refutes Idea That Jimmy Johnson Orchestrated Herschel Trade
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) -- Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson recently recounted the biggest blockbuster trade in NFL history -- the 1989 trade of Herschel Walker.
In The Great Trade Robbery, Johnson takes credit for orchestrating the trade, saying he shocked everyone with the idea. Jerry Jones remembers it differently.
"When I told Jerry that we were gonna trade Herschel Walker he was kind of astonished. He said, 'Really? You can't get rid of Herschel Walker. We won't score a point if we don't have Herschel Walker!'" Johnson says in the 30 for 30 short.
Jones offered up a different account with the G-Bag Nation on 105.3 The Fan on Friday.
"[Jimmy and I] didn't have any of this BS at that time. We were both of us lucky to get up in the morning and be here. We were 'yeeing' and 'hawing' and working together and not worried about who was doing what. We had our sleeves rolled up and we were doing everything we can to build this team."
Jerry Jones on The Trade
Jones refutes that the idea was sprung upon him, saying he discussed the trade at owners meeting weeks before. Before the trade scenarios were ever developed, Jones remembers a specific conversation with then Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell.
"I was visiting about trading Herschel Walker weeks before we ever started directly talking about it," said Jones. "Anybody that has any thinking that it was their unique idea -- there were a lot of different ways and a lot of ways of thinking coming up with, did Herschel, was Herschel, was he the future? Which direction were we going to go?"
Jimmy never mentions Jones' role in the Cowboys roster rebuild, instead suggesting that he was the sole mastermind behind the strategy.
"I considered trading every player on our roster — everybody, even a player that I loved, Michael Irvin, who played for me at Miami," Johnson said. "My attitude was, we were 53 players away from the Super Bowl."
And while Johnson is quick to claim credit for the move, Jones also believes that Walker deserves some recognition. Jones says that Walker -- who initially balked at the trade -- really wanted to help the Cowboys out, despite his desire to remain in Dallas.
"Herschel knew that we wanted to do it. He knew that I wanted to do it. Herschel in my mind didn't want to leave Dallas."
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