Report highlights Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' role in John Calipari's switch from Kentucky to Arkansas
Jerry Jones has been having a quiet 2024 NFL offseason so far. Despite his claims that they will go all-in to win a Super Bowl this season, he appears to be exercising patience with his Cowboys.
Several of Jones' players are seeking contract extensions, but the owner has yet to sign any of them to new contracts. While he has largely sat out this winter, he appears to have had an impact on another sport.
Legendary college basketball coach John Calipari recently made the shocking decision to leave the Kentucky Wildcats and join the Arkansas Razorbacks. This is Jerry Jones' alma mater, and his status as a current booster for the university allegedly played a role in Calipari's decision, according to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports.
"Jones' status as a booster has been cited as one of the reasons that Calipari walked away from a college basketball blue blood to coach the Razorbacks," Smith said.
"In the new world of college sports where so much success hinges on convincing players that wealthy donors will hook them up with lucrative NIL deals, a booster like Jones is attractive to players and coaches alike."
The landscape of college sports dramatically changed when the NCAA officially allowed its athletes to be paid from third-party deals for their "name, image, and likeness."
This has fundamentally altered the recruiting process and the newly-structured transfer site, as remuneration, has never previously been a consideration for student-athletes when deciding which school to play for.
The financial side of things is now understandably one of the biggest factors in these decisions, which reportedly weighed heavily in John Calipari's decision to go to Arkansas. It could potentially give him an edge in building the best roster possible.
In addition to Jerry Jones' incredible wealth supporting the program, the Walton family of Wal-Mart and the Tyson family of Tyson Foods are also boosters. This was apparently enough to convince Calipari to leave Kentucky, one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the country.
Jerry Jones net worth may have played a role in John Calipari's decision
With an incredible net worth of $13.9 billion, according to Forbes, Jerry Jones currently ranks as the seventh-richest owner in the NFL. As a graduate of Arkansas and a former member of the Razorbacks' football team, he remains one of their financial boosters.
He joins Rob Walton, the principal owner of the Denver Broncos, to form a powerhouse of support for John Calipari's new program.
Walton is one of the richest owners in all of sports, with a net worth of $77.4 billion, per Forbes. While he is reportedly less involved with Arkansas than Jones is, his outstanding wealth is reportedly another major factor in this situation.