Dak Prescott sounds as fed up with Jerry Jones meddling as every Cowboys fan

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is sitting helplessly on the sidelines, watching as his team flails their way to a losing record.

Prescott led the Cowboys to a 3-4 record before he suffered a torn hamstring in Week 9. The season-ending injury effectively ended the team's playoff hopes, leaving the coaches and players with nothing to play for except their jobs.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy entered the 2024 season on an expiring contract, which team owner Jerry Jones opted not to extend. It's widely been believed that Dallas would need to perform well in the postseason for McCarthy to retain his position. That will be a difficult task to accomplish without a playoff spot.

Dallas snapped their five-game losing streak and strung together consecutive wins in their past two games, but it's likely too little, too late. The Cowboys, who are in possession of a 5-7 record, only have a four percent chance of making the playoffs, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Dak Prescott doesn't seem to believe Mike McCarthy had a fair chance

During an interview with Yahoo Sports on Tuesday, Prescott discussed the emotions of watching his team struggle while his head coach's future hangs in the balance.

“Your coach seems like he's playing on his last contract [year] and [I’m] almost feeling helpless like I can’t help him in this situation,” Prescott said. “Especially a guy you believe in so much and you believe in being your head coach.”

It's easy to see why Prescott would be supportive of his embattled head coach. McCarthy led the Cowboys to three consecutive 12-win seasons since 2021, and Prescott was at the helm of the league's most potent scoring offense during that span. The nine-year veteran parlayed that success into a four-year, $240 million contract extension in September.

Prescott said he will "help and support" McCarthy in every way he can, but his words also seemed to carry an undertone of criticism for the team's ownership.

“I believe in him wholeheartedly,” Prescott said. “I don't want to necessarily get into the nuts and the screws of it all obviously, but I think he definitely deserves a chance — another contract and a chance to coach this team amongst more influence. ‘On his terms’ may be a good way to say it. But I wholeheartedly believe in him.”

Prescott seemed to be suggest that McCarthy wasn't given a fair opportunity to succeed in 2024, and he certainly has a point. In many ways, the 2024 roster was shaped on Jones' terms.

Jones has been one of the more involved owners in the league — but not in a good way. He seems to battle an internal struggle between wanting to win and wanting to run a circus, and the side campaigning for a circus often wins. Jones' veiled words and frequent media appearances are designed to generate headlines, but they've created countless distractions and controversies.

As the self-employed general manager, Jones has mismanaged contracts by waiting too long to sign extensions and attempting to win negotiations through the media. In 2024, those mistakes finally caught up with the team. As contract extensions with Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb lingered, the Cowboys were forced to remain dormant in free agency while allowing a mass exodus of key starters.

Still, it's hard to find either side entirely beyond reproach. While Jones hasn't helped, McCarthy's regular season dominance has translated into just one victory and three humiliating losses in the playoffs. At this point, it's hard to see any path forward that results in the Cowboys hoisting a Lombardi Trophy.