Jerry Jones moves target off his back directly to Dak Prescott, whose contract he negotiated

Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones experienced a bit of a meltdown following his team's 47-9 Week 6 home loss against the Detroit Lions. He adamantly expressed his discontent when speaking on the current state of the franchise. However, his frustration seems to lie with quarterback Dak Prescott.

Jones put the heat of the Cowboys' ongoing struggles on Prescott during his weekly interview with105.3 The Fan, a Dallas sports radio station. The former cited the latter's lucrative contract -- multiple times -- as RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys points out.

Not once, but twice, Jones highlighted how Prescott is the NFL's highest-paid player. Like Ochoa alludes to, this wasn't by coincidence. The Cowboys proprietor is dumping the public slander/criticism onto his star signal-caller in hopes of "moving the target to someone else."

But who will tell Jones that he's the one who agreed to give Prescott all that money?

Jerry Jones moves target off his back directly to Dak Prescott

Slightly over a month ago, Jones and the Cowboys struck a deal with Prescott on a four-year, $240 million contract extension. So, while one side is trying suddenly to point fingers at the other, this is a mutual partnership.

Prescott has undoubtedly had his fair share of struggles so far this season. The three-time Pro Bowler has completed 63.1 percent of his passes, which would be his lowest mark since 2017 should the inefficiency continue. Moreover, his six interceptions are tied for second-most in the league, compared to the nine picks he threw in 2023. Yet, that doesn't excuse Jones for Dallas' rough start to the 2024 campaign.

After all, Jones is the person with the final say regarding player personnel decisions. Ultimately, he constructed this Cowboys roster, including the choice to pay Prescott handsomely.

While it's easy to blame Prescott, the problems go beyond him. For example, Dallas' lack of a rushing attack has become apparent, making their offense one-dimensional. Jones had chances to address that issue this offseason, which Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry reminded him of in their Week 3 matchup.

Furthermore, Dallas' defensive problems aren't Prescott's fault. Dating back to last season's NFC Divisional Round, the Cowboys have allowed at least 40 points in three of their past four home games. Frankly, that's not going to get the job. If Jones had allocated more resources to the defensive side of the ball, that could've been avoided.

As much as Jones wants Prescott to bear the responsibility for Dallas' woes, it's hard to pin everything on the veteran gunslinger.