Until his retirement, one of the few consistent bright spots during the Cowboys’ post-glory years was tight end Jason Witten, one of the most durable and punishing players to ever play the position. He’s pretty much the consensus Greatest Tight End in Cowboys’ History — but before Witten, there was Jay Novacek. Just as reliable and perhaps even a slightly better route runner, Novacek confounded opposing secondaries who already had their hands full with Irvin and #2 receiver Alvin Harper. Just how reliable was he? He once related a story wherein, during a game, the football seemed to kind of just drop from nowhere into his hands while running a route. “When we watched the film,” he said, “I asked Troy [Aikman] if he saw me. [He said,] ‘No, I just knew you’d be there.’ That’s why you play the game. That’s better than winning the Super Bowl.”

Novacek has taken it easy in retirement, content to make sporadic public appearances reflecting on his life and career. But unfortunately, he’s also been prompted by circumstances to become a strong advocate against bullying and hazing among college fraternities. His son Blake, an aspiring and promising broadcaster, suffered irreparable brain damage after allegedly being victimized in a hazing incident in 2015. “[The Cowboys] fought on the field, but never in the locker room,” he told the Dallas Observer. “It’s past time for these fraternities to learn that lesson.”

In all of NFL history, there are exactly two players with five Super Bowl rings. One, surprise of surprises, is Tom Brady. The other is Charles Haley, one of the most utterly terrifying defensive ends of all time. Many players inspire a healthy respect in opponents; Haley inspired actual fear, as it seemed he didn’t so much try to tackle people as murder them. Drafted by San Francisco (with whom he won two championships) and traded to Dallas in 1992, Haley’s volatile nature wasn’t confined to the field. After a loss to the Raiders while with the Niners in 1991, he had such a profound freakout that even after smashing a window and gashing his hand, team doctors were literally scared to approach him.

Haley continued to struggle with anger issues after his 1999 retirement and endured a divorce and estrangement from his four children before finally pinning down a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. He managed to rebuild his life and reconnect with his family after successful treatment for his mental health issues and alcoholism in 2012, and even wrote a book documenting his victory over his demons for the benefit of those with similar struggles. Still, he has a hard time disguising his anger or beating around the bush when discussing the current Cowboys lineup. “I don’t think they understand what it takes to win a game,” he said in a 2018 interview. “Jerry [Jones] built this house for a bunch of damn losers.”

Cornerback/wide receiver/kick returner Deion Sanders was a man so badass, he needed two nicknames to encompass the entirety of his radness (“Primetime” and “Neon Deion”). He was possessed of an agility and an extra gear which only the legendary Barry Sanders could even hope to rival; he played more like a Madden player jacked up to all 100s than an actual man. Sure, he was also a legendary loudmouth, but you would be too if you were so awesome you needed two cool nicknames. Oh, and in the offseason he played pro baseball, becoming a true two-sport star and the only athlete ever to appear in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

In the years since his retirement, Sanders has put his loud mouth to good use as a pregame analyst for NFL Network, and also continued to shoulder his way into the spotlight through TV appearances on shows like The League, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and not one but two reality shows featuring himself and his family. He’s also taken to Twitter exactly like a loudmouth and has remained extremely forthcoming with his opinions on Cowboys personnel decisions — most recently throwing his support behind embattled former Dallas receiver Dez Bryant.

According to legend, Jerry Jones decided to fire Jimmy Johnson — who, remember, had just won his second Super Bowl in a row — in a late-night drunken rage, which is the only way the firing really made sense. Jones turned immediately to the man he’d considered before hiring Johnson: legendary Oklahoma coach and three-time national champion Barry Switzer, who hadn’t set foot on a sideline in six years and had never coached a pro-style offense. Somehow, the Cowboys reached the NFC Championship in Switzer’s first year and he led the ’95 Cowboys to win the big one in his second — but his third go-round saw Dallas limping to a 6-10 record and Switzer handing in his resignation at the season’s end.

He’s been called one of the worst pro coaches to ever win a championship, and the fact that he’s remained retired since 1997 does little to dispel this notion. But for Switzer’s part, he doesn’t seem to care; he’s been enjoying his retirement, secure in the knowledge that Oklahoma Sooners fans will revere him until the end of time and that nobody can take his Super Bowl ring away. He’s dabbled in acting, started up a successful family vineyard, and … established a bank, in partnership with country music star and famous blowhard Toby Keith. Look, Barry Switzer doesn’t care if he confuses you. He just kind of does his thing, and somehow, the wins keep coming.