Much like every other supporter of America’s Team, Jimmy Johnson has a lot to say about the Cowboys’ personnel moves over the last year.
Appearing on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” Wednesday, Johnson — who coached the storied franchise from 1989 through 1993 and won two Super Bowls — was asked about what he would do with the Cowboys as they enter a critical offseason.
Johnson torched the team’s decision to sign quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million extension.
“Well, first of all, they’re so financially strapped with some of these contracts. First of all, I would have never given Prescott a new contract,” Johnson said, as transcribed by Larry Brown Sports.
“I’d let him play it out. He’s the highest-paid player in the league. He’s not the best player in the league. He wasn’t gonna go anywhere, if they had gone to the Super Bowl with him, hey, he wasn’t gonna go anywhere, pay him whatever. If he struggled in the playoffs, then you negotiate. Or if he got hurt, you save money. But they’re so financially strapped right now, I don’t know what they do.”
Prescott, who has been under center in Dallas since 2016, agreed to a monster extension just hours before Dallas kicked off the season against Cleveland. He was entering the final year of a four-year, $160 million deal signed in 2021.
Although that game was a highlight – a 33-17 road win with Prescott throwing one touchdown and zero interceptions — the Cowboys season quickly spiraled.
Dallas went on a five-game skid that started in mid-October and ended last Sunday with a 34-26 victory over the Commanders.
That win was guided by backup quarterback Cooper Rush, now starting for the Cowboys after Prescott suffered a hamstring injury in a Week 9 loss to the Falcons. He opted to undergo season-ending surgery.
Before the injury, Prescott had thrown 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions through eight contests.
In addition to Prescott, Dallas awarded star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb a four-year, $136 million extension in August following an offseason holdout.
However, the Cowboys did not extend fifth-year coach Mike McCarthy, who is coaching on an expiring deal, with questions looming about his future in Dallas after the season.
Although owner Jerry Jones hasn’t dumped water on the suggestion of a McCarthy extension, it’s something Johnson called attention to Wednesday.
“They talk about changing coaching, I don’t know if changing coaches is going to help them cause Mike McCarthy is a good football coach. I don’t know if that new coach coming in can solve the problem,” he said.
Johnson is far from the only person who has criticized Jones and the Cowboys this season, with Dallas’ legendary quarterback, Troy Aikman, shredding the team’s “lazy” receivers after an embarrassing loss in October.
That same month, when making his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones seemingly threatened to have the radio hosts fired upon fielding questions over the team’s offseason approach.
Dallas enters Thursday’s NFC East clash against the 2-9 Giants at 4-7. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. in Arlington.