According to recent reports, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is getting fed up with owner Jerry Jones. What took him so long?
Two of the team’s top players already have beef with the team’s owner/president/general manager. Here’s why.
Dak Prescott (Quarterback)
Prescott is currently the third-leading passer in franchise history. Since joining the team as a fourth-round pick in 2016, he’s thrown for 29,459 yards and 202 touchdowns. He has 73 wins and 41 losses. Last year, he posted career highs in passer rating (105.9) and completion percentage (69.5) and led the NFL with 36 touchdowns.
So why isn’t he signed beyond 2024? You can hardly blame Prescott. The 30-year-old quarterback has been quite agreeable with the front office, twice accepting a franchise tag and restructuring his contract four times in the past four years. To his credit, Prescott appears to be taking everything in stride.
“Business is business," Prescott told reporters during OTAs. "I'll leave it where it gets handled. I've been in this situation before, so I'm experienced and just controlling what I can right now."
That sounds great, but after watching quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins and Trevor Lawrence sign new deals in the offseason, Prescott should also be fed up with Jones.
CeeDee Lamb (Wide receiver)
Since joining the NFL in 2020, Lamb has the fifth-most yards (5,145) of any wide receiver. He led the league in receptions (135) last season and is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Amid negotiations, the three-time Pro Bowler skipped OTAs and was fined $101,716 for missing the team’s mandatory minicamp, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
Before camp, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson became the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history with a four-year, $140M deal. Wide receivers like Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown also received lucrative contracts this offseason, something Jones doesn’t want to be bothered with.
“I saw the same (contracts) you saw,” Jones told the Dallas Morning News. “Bottom line is I haven’t had time to think about them, especially with those receivers now, nobody was moving too fast to get involved. Now, I just don’t care to or even will express any thoughts about the contract or the impact of the contract.”
Lamb hasn’t been shy about his desire to become one of the league’s highest-paid receivers, but given Jones’ comments, the team's No. 1 receiver could be looking at a franchise tag in 2025. If he’s not fed up with current negotiations, that will certainly do it.
