There’s little doubt that Hall of Famer and ESPN pundit Shannon Sharpe always has his smartphone within arm’s length, just in case he needs to drop a snarky response to a tweet.
Sharpe had his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek when he gave props to Dallas Cowboys owner/president/GM Jerry Jones for not signing Derrick Henry. But Sharpe’s diss is justified, as the 31-year-old Henry finished his 2024 with 1,921 rushing yards, the 11th-highest single-season total in league history.
Jerry Rigged: Shannon Sharpe Takes Shot at Jerry Jones’ Offseason Failures
Dallas’ 2024 RB1, Rico Dowdle, currently has 1,007 rushing yards to his name, the 23rd-highest single-season total in Dallas Cowboys history.
In Jones’ defense, he was far from the only decision-maker in the NFL to take a pass on Henry — the Chicago Bears, for instance, threw near-identical money at D’Andre Swift — but the flamboyant Cowboy front office maven is an easy target, so it’s little surprise that Sharpe took his shot … especially considering just how adamant Jones was about his lack of interest in Henry.
They’ve got the best G.M in football. Just let him tell ya. https://t.co/fUDcMcoQwD
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) January 5, 2025
Whenever Jones is asked about the future Canton inductee, he generally gets super-defensive, at one point saying, “[Henry] is a real good complement to the type of offense the [Baltimore Ravens] run. We don’t run that type of offense at all. Our situation makes it more about holding your blocks. It’s more about not making mistakes.”
Jones also claimed that money played a key role in the decision: “Derrick Henry didn’t fit because, principally, of managing the [salary] cap. In anticipation of players we were going to sign weeks later, and in anticipation of the players we were going to be signing in the future.”
Last summer, the Cowboys addressed their running back situation in free agency by signing Ezekiel Elliot, who managed 226 yards on 74 carries.
Game, set, match, Sharpe.
He Can’t Go Home Again
derrick henry 6’3, 247 and still outrunning defenses at the ripe old age of 31. dudes truly one of one
— pete rogers, professional diaper changer (@petemrogers) January 5, 2025
Cowboys fans will hate to be reminded that Henry badly wanted to play in his current hometown, telling “The Pivot Podcast”, “I knew once free agency started that I wanted to work something out [with the Ravens] if we could, even though I’m living in Dallas and Dallas being a perfect situation, as well, because we lived there, we ain’t got to move.”
Henry was more than a little bummed when the Cowboys didn’t bother to pick up the phone during the free agency stretch, adding, “They ain’t holla at me at all. I thought it’d been some type of reach out, some type of talks or whatever. They never reached out, you know what I’m saying? I don’t really know too much about their organization. All I know is what I hear. I was talking to my agent.
“They weren’t really interested. It is what it is.”