Brandin Cooks takes a flamethrower to Dak Prescott critics in heated rant

The Dallas Cowboys continue to come up empty-handed in their pursuit of a normal season. Nobody can contend that Jerry Jones hasn't built a competitive team, but after so many letdowns, one has to wonder if something will change.

This summer has been more of the same spectacle. Jones recently told reporters that he alone is the best candidate to run the Cowboys, which kills the dream of a long-overdue front office overhaul. Instead, Jones has leveraged the media firestorm to his advantage, making headline after headline for his suspect handling of contract negotiations with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.

The former was resolved a little over a week ago when Lamb inked a four-year, $136 million contract. That is officially the second-largest non-QB deal in NFL history, trailing only Justin Jefferson, who netted $140 million from the Vikings earlier this summer. The Prescott negotiations press onward, though, and the lack of progress is alarming.

Jones has waxed poetic about the challenges of paying Prescott in a competitive marketplace. The general belief is that, when all is said and done, Prescott's next contract will break the league record and blaze a new trail at the position. In a particularly damning development, Prescott told reporters that he is done listening to Jones' public-facing comments on the situation. Jones may not have an open malcontent on his hands — Prescott is ever the professional — but it's clear that Prescott feels a certain type of way about how these talks have dragged on.

As things sit, it appears less than likely that Prescott will get a deal done before the season. Dallas may even wait until he's a free agent before making a serious offer. Those criticizing Prescott, however, risk drawing the ire of Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks.

Brandin Cooks tears apart Dak Prescott skeptics as contract dilemma presses on

The only discernible reason for this stall in negotiations is a lack of confidence on Dallas' side. It's one of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL that Jones does not believe, in his heart of hearts, that Prescott deserves to be the NFL's richest player. That may not prevent him from handing Prescott a hefty contract when push comes to shove, but right now, the Cowboys are comfortable waiting. The reward does not outstrip the risk unless Dallas does not want to pay Prescott his market value.

Skeptics will side with Jones, citing the Cowboys' lack of postseason success as proof that Prescott is only a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. Brandin Cooks, however, has a different perspective on the reigning MVP runner-up (h/t Jon Machota, X).

"It's blasphemy," said Cooks. "It's unbelievable. The guy shows up every year, year in and year out. Putting up numbers, leading his team. He can't do it all by himself. A lot of those great quarterbacks that I've been with, Tom [Brady] and Drew [Brees], don't get me wrong, they won a lot of games, won a lot of Super Bowls, but they had a lot of help around them as well, right?"

Now, of course Prescott does not rise to the level of Tom Brady or Drew Brees. That said, Cooks makes a compelling case and he cites his sources. Anybody blaming Prescott for Dallas' most recent postseason flameout against Green Bay is willfully ignorant at best. He has his share of playoff blunders, but Prescott has not been the driving force behind Dallas' myriad failures on that stage.

Credit to Cooks for such a great perspective on the issue. Football is a team sport, after all, so he is taking all Prescott criticism personally.

"Us players around [Dak] also got to step up. So when we hear that disrespect, I take that personally and as his teammates we should take that personally, because at the end of the day, somebody has got to be able to help him get over that hump so we can go win one."

That is the perfect attitude for every Cowboys player to have going into the season. Prescott's ongoing contract snafu will continue to draw headlines, but the best way to shut up Jerry Jones and prove Prescott's worth is to win the Super Bowl. Let's see if Dallas can finally get over the hump in 2025.