Who is Jerry Jones? Emotional Landman Episode 9 cameo explained

Taylor Sheridan has done it again and brought another real-life legend into his fictional world – here’s everything you need to know about Jerry Jones and his Landman Episode 9 cameo. (Spoilers ahead!)

Anyone who’s watched Yellowstone or Tulsa King will know that Sheridan isn’t above a wild cameo here and there (even if it’s just himself). In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Billy Klapper, Bella Hadid, and Bob Avila on the screen, and this trend has continued in Landman.

In Episode 9, Tommy pays a visit to Monty in the hospital after his severe heart attack. However, he’s not the only one. When he arrives, Jerry Jones is already in the room, chatting to Monty as he lies in bed.

Jones imparts some essential words of wisdom to Monty and Tommy during his short appearance. So, who exactly is Jerry Jones, and why is he there?

Why you should know Jerry Jones

Jerry Jones is a businessman most known for being the owner, president, and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys.

Jones came from humble beginnings, with his parents running an independent grocery store. He was brought up in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and later served as a running back at North Little Rock High School. When they later moved to Springfield, Missouri, his father opened a successful insurance company.

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Jones later attended the University of Arkansas and co-captained the football team in 1964. Once he graduated, he became an executive vice president at his father’s insurance company. When he sold the company in 1971, the family opened up Buena Vista Animal Paradise, an exotic animal park in Strafford, Missouri.

Jones’ success skyrocketed when he later started Jones Oil and Land Lease, an oil and gas business. This is where the majority of his wealth came from and later allowed him to purchase the Dallas Cowboys NFL team.

In 1989, Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million. The team would later go on to reach great success, winning Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX. Jones initially faced backlash for firing and replacing familiar team personnel, including head coach Tom Landry.

However, the Cowboys would later grow to an estimated value of $10 billion, more than any other team in the National Football League.

He still stands as a polarizing figure within the NFL but was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, and much of the NFL’s prosperity is now credited to Jones. As the Cowboys’ own website states, “Jerry Jones’ stewardship of the Dallas Cowboys has brought unprecedented results and success to one of the world’s most popular sports entities.”

These days, he has an estimated net worth of $16.1 billion.

Jerry Jones appears in Landman Episode 9

Jerry Jones makes a cameo appearance as himself in Landman Episode 9, where he talks to Monty who is recovering in hospital after a heart attack.

Jones offers Monty some poignant advice at his bedside following his health scare. He recalls the story of how his daughter left for school in Stanford, and how he came up with his oil business to have a reason to go and visit her.

“I bought about 25 lots like I was gonna build 25 houses. Except I drilled four gas wells,” he explains. “And those four gas wells in 18 months paid me enough money for me to buy the Dallas Cowboys.

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“Paying attention to my kids actually led to me getting involved into the passion of my life. All along what I was trying to do was hang out near my daughter.”

He then goes on to impart his wisdom to Monty, with Tommy sitting in the corner, absorbing his words just as heavily.

“Now I’m not saying I’ve done anything right, but I made my mind up a long time ago I was gonna work with my kids,” he continued. “When I got the Cowboys, I got it so that we could all work together.

“I just know it’s not gonna be this time, but you’re gonna be sitting here sometime in the future, laying here sometime in the future, and this room’s gonna be full of your business associates, and the people you’ve worked with all your life.

“And more than likely, your children and family are gonna be there because they’re your children and your family. But you could have them there because they’re the people you spent your life with, you worked with, you fell down with, you got up with.”

He finishes with, “I’m pretty proud of them Cowboys, I’m pretty proud of the stuff we’ve done in oil and gas. It pales in comparison to how proud I am to have lived my life working with my kids.”

Needless to say, it’s a pretty important lesson for Monty, whose latest health scare is a sure sign he needs to slow down. (Unfortunately, the end of Episode 9 reveals it might be too late.) However, it’s a key moment for Tommy, too.

Why is Jones’ monologue so important?

Jones’ scene in Landman Episode 9 serves as an integral moment for both Monty and Tommy, who have spent years prioritizing their work in the oil industry over their personal and family lives.

Ultimately, it’s a reminder from one rich man to another that only one thing truly matters: family. The lesson comes to Monty when he needs to learn it, but also for Tommy. The landman has struggled over the past few episodes with adjusting to both the demands of his job and the return of his family into his life.

Clearly, Jones’ words hit him hard, since he follows up the scene by stepping outside and calling Angela to tell her he loves her. Later, he also returns home and has a frank conversation with her about how they can make their new dynamic work.

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On the surface level, there’s also plenty of connections that tie Jerry Jones to Taylor Sheridan’s oil world. For one, the man is an oil tycoon himself, making his name through the money he earned during his own venture in the industry.

He’s also a legend in Texas, and since Sheridan’s series is set in the rural land of the Lone Star State, it makes sense to include a well-known figure in the community in such an important scene.

Finally, Jones serves as a reflection of both Tommy and Monty’s desires and ways of living. Jones was a polarizing figure when he first embarked on his Dallas Cowboys venture, with the rewards later paying off and proving him to be a shrewd businessman.

The same could be said of both of Landman’s leading men, who make tough and unpopular decisions on the daily, with the ultimate goal of finding success and striking gold (or oil, rather).

For more, check out our Landman review. You can also keep tabs on Sheridan’s other upcoming shows, like 6666, The Madison, and Yellowstone 1944.