If anyone is wondering how Taco Charlton felt about his former boss in Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones calling him out, he’s happy to give an answer.
Jones, his son/Dallas CEO Stephen Jones, and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy all sat down with the media on April 26 to preview the NFL draft. The trio addressed their approach to this year’s draft, but not without some extra spice from Jerry himself.
At one point, Jones was explaining how its not any singular person’s decision in the front office. The Cowboys owner then cracked a joke saying that he was the one who took star linebacker Micah Parsons in last year’s draft before saying Stephen Jones made the selection of Charlton in 2017.
“Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said there is a lot of talk about who makes the draft decisions in building,” Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken Tweeted. “Jones: ‘Taco was Stephen’s call,’ prompting laughter in news conference room.”
Now, Charlton is responding, although somewhat indirectly. The New Orleans Saints defensive end posted a GIF that appears to be an acknowledgment of Jones’ comments, considering it came later that afternoon.
The real confirmation of the Saints’ defender’s Tweet being a response to Jones was that he retweeted former Cowboys DE Randy Gregory’s own response to Jones.
Besides commenting on Charlton directly, Jones also took aim at Gregory. Gregory signed with the Denver Broncos earlier this offseason for the same deal Dallas offered the pass rusher, flipping to Denver even after the Cowboys announced they agreed to terms on a new contract.
However, Jones claimed in the pre-draft conference that Gregory was too expensive for their liking. The new Broncos star took notice, and fired back over Twitter.
“Hell hath no fury like a scorned….owner?” Gregory wrote. “Mans needs to let it go and go find his war daddy already.”
Hell hath no fury like a scorned….owner? Mans needs to let it go and go find his war daddy already 🙄
— Randy Gregory (@RandyGregory_4) April 26, 2022
Jones is known for speaking his mind and name-dropping individuals, but two in one press conference is certainly interesting. Now, both players have moved on to new pastures while Dallas figures out there next move on the defensive line.
Charlton Gets New Deal with Saints
Charlton essentially spent two seasons with Dallas after being the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, totaling just four sacks in that span and forcing one fumble. The Cowboys weren’t satisfied with his output or off-field attitude, and so they cut a first-rounder loose early, which is a rare occurrence even for busts.
Since, Charlton has spent each season with a different team. In 2019, he signed with the Miami Dolphins before eventually playing with the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Over those three seasons, the former Michigan star has amassed 7.5 sacks per PFR.
Now, he heads back to the NFC with the Saints on a one-year, $1.035 million deal according to Spotrac. In total, the former Cowboys defensive end has made $10.338 million through his on-field play. Charlton may not be living up to first-round billing, but he certainly has enough cash to reenact his GIF response to Jones.