Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott hasn’t said much since suffering a season-ending injury back in Week 9, but a recent interview with Jori Epstein from Yahoo! Spots featured some significant comments from the $240 million player.
Specifically, Prescott commented on Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s job status, expressing his support for him.
“I believe in him wholeheartedly,” Prescott told Epstein. “I don’t want to necessarily get into the nuts and the screws of it all but I think he definitely deserves a chance, another contract.”
It’s the next part of the quote, however, that really caught many people’s attention, as Prescott suggested McCarthy needed more say in how things are done in Dallas.
“(He deserves a chance) to coach this team, I guess you could say more influence, on his terms, would be a good way to say it,” Prescott said. “The guy has won a Super Bowl, I know Jerry (Jones) has attested to that.”
That specific part of Prescott’s comments has led to many speculating on what he meant. While it wasn’t an hour-ling speech, I believe there are a few things to take away from his words. Let’s start with the elephant in the room.
1. Things weren’t done Mike McCarthy’s way
I’ll admit I’m speculating here but surely that’s what Prescott implies here, right? If he believes McCarthy deserves more influence and to do things “on his terms,” it’s got to mean that wasn’t the case in 2024.
There are already a few examples I can think of as being potential evidence of that. The most obvious one is the fact that the Cowboys spent the least money in free agency out of 32 NFL teams. The tea leaves have always been there. Earlier in the season, McCarthy confessed “running back by committee” was never the preferred choice. In training camp, Mike Zimmer admitted the team was short multiple nose tackles.
The Cowboys lost multiple starting offensive linemen in the offseason and replaced them with rookies, something McCarthy had to be worried about at least to some degree. Whether or not it means he should be exonerated of all blame is a different discussion but Prescott’s words certainly carry some weight to them in this scenario. A lot of problems in Dallas stem from the fact of how the roster was built in the first place.
2. Dak Prescott’s support for McCarthy goes well beyond appreciating him
The above naturally leads us to this. There are many people pointing out that Prescott liked Kellen Moore, Jason Garrett, Scott Linehan, and just about every coach before the Cowboys moved on to McCarthy. He’s always liked Ezekiel Elliott and was seemingly upset when he was cut, as well as excited upon his return this offseason.
In other words, many are arguing the fact that Prescott is backing McCarthy is meaningless due to who he has supported before.
However, Prescott has always been exceptionally careful with his words on the mic. The fact that he pointed out that McCarthy deserved more influence and to do things on his terms shouldn’t be ignored. This isn’t the Cowboys quarterback putting in a word for his buddy, but rather a message on how things were done in 2024, and how they should be done, in his eyes, in 2025.
3. There’s legitimately a chance McCarthys sticks around for 2025 and beyond
Last but not least, I think you’ve got to admit McCarthy returning to Dallas is sounding increasingly likely. If I had to place a bet, I’d lean toward him not returning to The Star. But that door is certainly not shut.
“Obviously it’s exciting when you see notes and comments Jerry makes about there being a possibility of he re-signing as coach,” Prescott said.
Jerry Jones has been praising McCarthy on the radio and the support of the quarterback likely helps his case. Considering how things were done when Jason Garrett was at the wheel and the fact that the Cowboys front office prefers an experienced coach over an up-and-coming hotshot suggests there’s a strong chance of McCarthy inking a new deal in the offseason despite a likely ending the year with losing record.
