Dak Prescott backs Mike McCarthy’s leadership amid Dan Quinn rumors

How long does Mike McCarthy have as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?

How much time will it take you to reach the end of this article?

McCarthy has already survived a tumultuous first month of the offseason, through nearly no fault of his own. Following the Cowboys’ elimination from the NFL playoffs, we’ve seen national media speculate that Jerry Jones might be so inspired to “blow up” some portion of his plan after another high-profile postseason loss.

Add in Sean Payton’s exodus from New Orleans a few days later, followed by a Dan Quinn courtship and some strange Jerry comments in its wake that made it sound like a head coaching position may or may not have been dangled, and you’re left with McCarthy twisting in the wind, regardless of the intentions in the center of The Star.

That’s why Dak Prescott embarked on a rescue mission this week. Deployed to “The Rich Eisen Show” like his head coach before him, Prescott emphatically backed the leader he’s already got in his corner of the locker room (in other words, not on the defensive side of the ball).

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott backs his head coach Mike McCarthy

In response to McCarthy emphatically declaring, “I’m the leader” after an interview earlier in the week didn’t exactly quiet the noise regarding how he’s viewed in Jerry’s eyes, Prescott confirmed he would do everything in his power to stop season-altering in-fighting.

"“I’m gonna make sure that that we’re not, as you said, ‘The knives aren’t out’ between our head coach and our D.C.,” Prescott said. “That’s so false, so false.”"

As fans know, such distractions can derail a perfectly-built roster, let alone a Cowboys crew packed with myriad questions that go far beyond an internal coaching battle.

Quinn’s name gained significance throughout the 2021 season, when Dallas inexplicably flipped from an offense-first team to a roster fueled by turnovers, defensive touchdowns, and swirling intensity. As much of a luxury as it’s been for Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs to be able to change games in one fell swoop, the defense should never be outscoring an offense this talented — and such friendly wagers should never be in play.

Prescott will be a massive part of the solution if things go right in 2022, as will McCarthy’s stability and ability to function comfortably with Quinn at his side, and not behind his back.

These comments were a massive step forward in reestablishing normalcy ahead of a pivotal offseason.