Most times in Jerry Jones' life, the Dallas Cowboys owner gets what he wants. Not so during the 2016 NFL Draft.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday night that the Cowboys tried to trade back into the first round to select quarterback Paxton Lynch, but couldn't get a deal done. The Denver Broncos swooped in to snag the signal-caller.
Missing out on Lynch had Jones up late on Thursday night, lamenting a squandered opportunity to get his desired heir to Tony Romo. The owner wishes he would have overpaid the Seattle Seahawks to get a deal done.
"When I look back on my life, I overpaid for my big successes every time," Jones said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "And when I tried to get a bargain, get it a little cheaper or get a better deal on it, I ended up usually either getting it and not happy I got it. Or missing it.
"And I probably should have overpaid here."
Jones said Friday he was still stewing about not snagging Lynch.
"I was still mad about it," Jones said. "Actually thought we had it done."
Lynch is seen as a toolsy quarterback who, with a couple years of grooming, might eventually be the best passer of the 2016 draft class. Sitting Lynch behind Romo for a couple of years could have been a boon for both the team and player.
Alas, Jones didn't ante up. Broncos general manager John Elway did.
The battle to draft Lynch adds to the prevailing thought that the quarterback could become a top-shelf passer in the NFL, despite some question marks entering the draft.
Dallas also attempted to trade up to get Connor Cook in the fourth round, before the Oakland Raiders leapt them for the quarterback's rights. Jones wasn't too disappointed about that miss.
The Cowboyseventually grabbed their heir in Dak Prescott in the fourth round, someone who Jones called a "heady player" with "upside."
Just not as much upside as Lynch.
