One week in, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has yet to talk to Dak Prescott
Mike McCarthy has had a whirlwind of a week.
The former Green Bay Packers coach interviewed with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones late last week, reportedly had a sleepover at his Texas home, and was then hired to lead the organization just days later.
McCarthy was officially introduced in his new position on Wednesday, the first step of what is sure to be an action-packed offseason for the 56-year-old.
Yet one week in, McCarthy still hasn’t spoken to his quarterback.
“I have not [talked to Prescott],” McCarthy said Friday, via the NFL Network’s Jane Slater. “My immediate responsibilities have been abundant. I need to get on the phone.”
On the surface, that statement could come off as alarming. Given McCarthy’s history with quarterbacks — he’s worked with greats like Joe Montana, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, to name a few — one would think that speaking with Prescott would be among the first things he’d do upon arrival in Dallas, even with a million things on his plate.
Though he hasn’t spoken with his future quarterback, however, McCarthy has been talking about him.
“We went over this in depth with coach McCarthy, and he thinks [Prescott] is a top-end, top-caliber quarterback,” vice president Stephen Jones said Friday on 1310 The Ticket, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic. “We can do everything we want to do and more with Dak. [McCarthy] can’t wait to spend time with him.”
Despite the Cowboys finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs, Prescott is coming off his best season in the NFL, where he threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns, both career highs. His rookie deal is set to expire this offseason, too, which will make him a free agent should the Cowboys not reach a longterm deal or use the franchise tag on him.
Neither McCarthy nor the Joneses seem worried about getting that deal done, however. Stephen even said Friday that they were “real, real, real close” during the season, and that all that’s left is for them to “land the plane and get his deal done.”
So while Stephen turns his attention to that, McCarthy can focus on building a relationship with his future quarterback — one that sounds like it will get off to a good start.
“I think what [Prescott has] done so far is very impressive,” McCarthy said Wednesday, via the Cowboys. “I think like a lot of us in the league, you watch people from afar. But when you have a chance to watch a player live, and I can recall his rookie year when we played him there in Green Bay, I’ve always been impressed with him.”
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