An NFL General Manager should never be a part time job. Nor should it include duties that detract from his primary responsibility, to build a team capable of consistently competing for championships.
Everything he does should involve increasing the quality of the team whether it is hiring the right coaches and scouts, acquiring more talented players, or creating the proper circumstances that increase the probability of success. Any other endeavor is a distraction that undermines and decreases his ability to do so.
The current Cowboy GM negotiates boxing matches. He also markets the stadium for additional income. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a result of his efforts to bring more revenue into the league.
None of this has anything to do with a championship.
The current GM has even decreased the team's chances for success by placing the players under circumstances that increase the probability of injuries including the kind that ends seasons.
Once again, Jerry Jones put the good of the franchise's profitability before the good of the team's championship possibilities. He increased the probability of preseason game injury by 20% when he volunteered the Cowboys to play in the Hall of Fame game.
The last time he did this was 2010...a season with the potential of a home game Super Bowl took a devastating turn as a result of preseason injuries that severely weakened the offensive line.
The Cowboys never recovered, going 1-5 to start the season. Jerry Jones even moved that year's training camp to three locations in an effort to market his team.
We know that Jerry will eventually step down but the Cowboys and their fans would be better served if it involved a 2-3 year process. It should begin with Stephen Jones's official promotion to GM.
Jerry should take himself out pro football operations all together other than evaluating Stephen's effectiveness on a short term basis. This would allow Jerry to involve himself in the other aspects of managing a team and a stadium. It would also signal a commitment to the future under the leadership of Stephen.
If the Cowboys should win a championship it would still be under Jerry Jones as owner. He could still serve as the face of the team.
Making Stephen the official GM would also eliminate the obvious hypocrisy surrounding the firing of Tom Landry. Again, it wouldn't be less power as much as it would be a different way in which the power would be distributed.
A few years from now, key decisions have to be made with respect to emerging superstars Dak and Zeke. They should be made by those who will be operating the team when the effects of those decisions are felt.