MOBILE, Ala. — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones along with son and executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke with the media on Tuesday in Mobile, Alabama at the site of the Reese's Senior Bowl on the campus of the University of South Alabama, as they detailed evaluations of the 2023 season, the decision to bring back Mike McCarthy and what the 2024 offseason could look like for the franchise.
Here are five things to know from their availability on Tuesday.
Jerry wants to go 'all-in'
Jerry Jones was asked about if the Cowboys feel an urgency to go all-in in 2024 considering Mike McCarthy is entering the final year of his contract and the team is on the heels of three disappointing playoff exits. For him, he will take a look at how contract situations can be addressed and how it can play into the approach.
"I would anticipate – with looking ahead at our key contracts that we'd like to address – we will be all in," Jones said. "I would anticipate we will be all in at the end of this year. So when you say is there any thought…we will push the hell out of it."
"It will be going all in on different people than you've done in the past. We will be going all in. We've seen some things out of some of the players that we want to be all in on. Yes, I would say that you will see us this coming year not build it for the future. It's the best way I've ever said. And that ought to answer a lot of questions."
Staying put in free agency?
Jones talked about the need to “disrupt” in order to have better success in 2024, and in looking at potential offseason ways to do that, free agency looms as a possibility. With big names set to hit the free agent market at positions of need and over a quarter of the Cowboys' active roster set to be free agents, an opportunity could exist to make that mark before the team makes it way back for OTAs in the summer.
Here is what Jones had to say on those thoughts.
"It would be disruptive to not do a free agent, as far as what we did last year," he said. "I think you could anticipate us having some influence here and being involved in some free agents, subject to the right free agent that we can get under the right contract."
'Rightful' fan disappointment
Stephen Jones was asked about the fan disappointment following another abrupt playoff exit, and he offered a good sense of sympathy for the fans and how they should feel about the team's future. Without a model of consistency in winning, Jones says the fans have a rightful reason to feel the way they do.
"We have had three good years of 12-5 and we have had major disappointments in the postseason, so until we do something about it – which is go have another great year and have success in the playoffs – that's gonna be there," he said. "There's no way they're going to explicitly trust you until you get it done…Until we compete at that level and we get the job done, there's gonna be doubt and rightfully so."
Dak's potential extension
The talk around a potential extension for Dak Prescott dominated most of the conversation on Tuesday, as he gets set to potentially enter the final year of his deal with a massive cap hit that could be restructured with an extension.
Jerry Jones was adamant about staying away from discussing the extension itself, but he did offer assumptions as to how the front office continues to feel about its quarterback.
"Dak has done nothing to change my mind about any promise for the future," Jones said. "I don't even want to answer the question. I would let everybody say you can just assume that [Dak will be extended]. You can just assume that right there. What I'm really saying is I'm not going to be discussing any part of it because it looks like that's an issue when it's not. It's the entire thing and the balancing of the entire thing."
Quinn talk
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was in Washington on Tuesday to interview in-person for the Commanders' head coaching vacancy, as he remains an option for both the Cowboys' NFC East rival and the Seattle Seahawks. When asked if there was a plan if Quinn were to secure one of those opportunities, Jerry Jones only offered his praise for his coordinator.
"He's an outstanding coach," he said. "We have benefitted from Dan, and we'll see where it goes. I don't want to comment other than the fact that we think he's outstanding."
