Cowboys News: Keeping McCarthy, paying Prescott, replacing Quinn, adding RBs
Wednesday finally brought the latest drama in Dallas to a close, but it wasn’t the announcement many Cowboys fans were expecting. Jerry Jones announced that Mike McCarthy would be staying on with the team and issued a statement that talked of his “great confidence” in the head coach entering his fifth season. We’ll sift through some of the reasons why- like it or not- it was the only choice that made sense.
Elsewhere, we start looking at what might change with the rest of the team. There are big-dollar decisions to be made (with Dak Prescott at the front of the line) and a possible turnover atop the defensive coaching staff (with several in-house candidates qualified). The bottom of the roster continues to get filled with guys on reserve/futures contracts, including a high-profile project at wide receiver, a returning running back, and a set of fresh legs from Tennessee. We’ve got more analysis of what happened against Green Bay, and one team’s GM compares his underachieving head coach to… Tom Landry?!? All that and more in this edition of News and Notes.
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Breaking: Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy to return for 2024 season :: Cowboys Wire
Cowboys staffers were notified Wednesday night that McCarthy would be staying on in Dallas for his fifth season as Cowboys head coach. 2024 will be the fifth and- as of now- final year of the contract McCarthy signed in 2020.
'We have great confidence': Jerry Jones makes statement regarding McCarthy's 5th season as Cowboys HC :: Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys owner promised “deepest review and consideration” of everything after the team’s shocking playoff loss Sunday, but he maintains that retaining McCarthy as head coach is “the best step forward.” He cited McCarthy’s regular-season winning percentage with the Cowboys (better than all eight of predecessors) and his career-spanning postseason success.
Here's why Jerry Jones will seriously consider bringing Mike McCarthy back :: Cowboys Wire
Well before news of McCarthy’s return broke, this ultimately prophetic piece pointed out that hiring a new coach would have cost a bundle (not to mention the year’s salary McCarthy would have been paid to not coach). Besides, Jerry Jones made Jason Garrett coach through the high-pressure final year of a contract twice. And the team can sell the fact that McCarthy has taken the team to three straight 12-win campaigns, a fact that will sound better in August than it does right now.
Point fingers at Mike McCarthy, Dak Prescott but Dallas Cowboys blame game goes deeper :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Trashing the head coach, quarterback, and defensive coordinator for the Cowboys’ playoff dud is easy. But CeeDee Lamb wasn’t right and didn’t catch a ball until 28 minutes had gone by. Micah Parsons turned out not to be “[expletive] phenomenal” and recorded just two tackles. DeMarcus Lawrence had a killer penalty on the game’s opening drive. DaRon Bland, Jayron Kearse, Markquese Bell, and Damone Clark all had forgettable outings, too, in the biggest game of the year.
Agent's Take: Can Cowboys afford not to give Dak Prescott a record-breaking extension? :: CBS Sports
The Cowboys aren’t really in a position to handle Prescott’s $59.455 million cap hit for 2024. But Prescott’s 2-5 postseason record is tied for the worst in NFL history with Billy Kilmer and Alex Smith for any quarterback having at least five playoff starts. Turning the offense over to Cooper Rush or Trey Lance is unlikely, so a contract extension may be Dallas’ most viable option even though the season ended prematurely and on an extremely sour note. Playoff loss or not, Prescott could easily become the league’s highest-paid player while establishing new benchmarks for most important contract metrics.
The Cowboys missed a golden opportunity. Here's why contention now gets tougher :: Fox Sports
This 2023 Cowboys team had a unique blend of Pro Bowl and All-Pro talent that fit conveniently into their budget. That might not be the case moving forward, even beyond Prescott’s next deal. Parsons could soon be looking at $35 million a year. Lamb might top $30 million. With top-tier contracts at quarterback, receiver, guard, edge rusher, and cornerback, the pressure on the Cowboys to fill out their roster with quality draft picks will be massive.
3 internal defensive coordinator options for Cowboys if Dan Quinn leaves :: Cowboys Wire
As Quinn’s dance card fills up for ’24, the club may elect not to look far to find a new partner to be the team’s defensive coordinator. Defensive backs coach Al Harris is a fiery favorite, though that would be a big leap. Quinn’s right-hand man Joe Whitt Jr. has filled in as DC before and is a coaching prospect on the rise, though Quinn might convince the passing game coordinator to follow him. Longtime McCarthy aide Scott McCurley could be another name to watch.
3 Major takeaways from Cowboys season coming to an abrupt end :: Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys ended up right where they were in January 2023. Except Dan Quinn seems to have lost a bit of his luster over the course of the season, it took Dak Prescott a while to get going on what turned out to be an exceptional regular season in passing, and the championship window for the team may have already closed.
Report: Cowboys to bring WR Martavis Bryant back on futures contract :: Cowboys Wire
The 32-year-old was signed by the Cowboys in early November upon his reinstatement to the NFL following a 2018 suspension by the league. Bryant joined the team’s practice squad but was released just after the first of the year in order to make room for offensive lineman La’el Collins. Now he’ll be back when the team reconvenes in 2024.
Updates: Cowboys sign Martavis Bryant, 2 RBs :: The Mothership
The Cowboys also signed Malik Davis and Snoop Connor to reserve/futures contracts. Davis will return for this third season with the team; Connor was a fifth-round pick by Jacksonville out of Mississippi in 2022.
Saints GM on decision to retain HC Dennis Allen: Bill Belichick, Tom Landry struggled at beginning :: NFL.com
Mickey Loomis invoked the name of the iconic Cowboys coach in explaining his decision to keep Allen. “Bill Belichick, here’s his first three seasons: 6-10, 7-9, 7-9. Tom Landry: 0-11, 4-9, 5-8, 4-10, 5-8. Hall of Fame coaches, all of them. Bill Walsh: 2-14; second year, 6-10,” Loomis told reporters on Wednesday. That’s quite a bar to set for a coach who couldn’t get his backup quarterback to execute a victory-formation kneel-down.
