Derrick Henry jokes Jerry Jones has his number blocked after Cowboys didn't pursue him

Derrick Henry became a free agent for the first time in his NFL career this past offseason.

Henry, who resides in Dallas, would have had interest in playing for the Cowboys if they came calling. But to call you have to first pick up the phone; Dallas never got that far. Henry instead signed with the Baltimore Ravens, while the Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott for a second run with the franchise.

Henry, 31, was a guest on Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons‘ “The Edge” podcast during Super Bowl week. The two discussed working out in the offseason, and Parsons complained that Henry didn’t let him know about a change of location. Someone in the audience then shouted at Henry that he should have called Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to get Parsons’ number. Henry jokingly said that Jones has his number blocked.

Derrick Henry jokes that Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones 'has my number blocked' 😅

Henry previously confirmed that Dallas never reached out to him during free agency.

(via The Edge with Micah Parsons) pic.twitter.com/K2DZRVKFjQ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 11, 2025

“Jerry got my number blocked. I couldn’t even get it. I couldn’t even call Jerry,” Henry said.

Derrick Henry put up big numbers in first season with Ravens

Henry may have had interest in Dallas, but things worked out well — very well — in Baltimore. Henry rushed for 1,921 yards on a career-high 5.9 yards per carry to go along with a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns. If not for Philadelphia Eagles tailback Saquon Barkley compiling north of 2,000 yards on the ground, something Henry did in 2020, he would have been a slam dunk for First-Team All-Pro.

The Cowboys could have used Henry. They rushed for 1,705 yards as a team, well below Henry’s total output. But would Henry have been as productive in Dallas as he was in Baltimore? Parsons isn’t convinced.

“I’m actually happy that you had the year… I was telling somebody last night, it was like, are you upset that Derrick Henry didn’t come to Dallas?” Parsons said. “I said no, that’s not how God works. He was exactly where he was supposed to be. Year eight, nine of his career, still going for 1,800 yards, playoffs. He was exactly where he was supposed to be. I’m happy that he didn’t get ruined by us.”

As for why the Cowboys never reached out to the future Hall of Famer, Jones cited budget issues.

“I don’t know if he’d be having a career year in our situation,” Jones said in October. “… We don’t run that type of offense at all. … Derrick Henry didn’t fit [because of] managing the [salary] cap.”