After Mike McCarthy’s departure, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will move on with one key takeaway

A coach/quarterback relationship is delicate.

Brian Flores bristled at Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, costing him the head coaching job.

Dan Campbell has embraced quarterback Jared Goff and they are thriving.

Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy?

They were thriving, building a close relationship and hoping for more success until that ended Monday when the Cowboys announced McCarthy’s departure.

That now leaves Prescott looking to develop a relationship with his third head coach as he enters his 10th NFL season in 2025.

“Just (a) great guy and lucky to be able to play under him,” Prescott said The Dallas Morning News on McCarthy Tuesday. “It’s a business.”

Prescott played five seasons under McCarthy and the relationship was positive from day one.

McCarthy didn’t change the offense when he arrived in 2020 so Prescott could stay comfortable. McCarthy said he learned the verbiage instead of changing it.

But in 2023, McCarthy took over playcalling duties as Kellen Moore left to become offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. You could say there was a slight push to get Moore out of town.

Prescott didn’t like the decision because he was close to Moore, a man he once played behind.

As Prescott said Tuesday, “it’s a business.”

Related:Everything we know about Mike McCarthy leaving the Dallas Cowboys

In McCarthy’s first year with Prescott as a player, QB1 finished second to Lamar Jackson for NFL MVP. Prescott set career highs in touchdowns (36), completion percentage (69.5), completions (410) and quarterback rating (105.9).

The problem was the playoffs. Prescott and McCarthy lost in the wild card round, losing to Green Bay.

McCarthy needed to win this game to earn a contract extension.

Between Prescott and McCarthy, only the quarterback got a new contract.

Jerry Jones put McCarthy on the clock for 2024 and it was an awfully nasty season. Prescott suffered a season-ending torn hamstring in Game 8 and the Cowboys finished 7-10.

There was no giving up on these Cowboys, but Jones and McCarthy couldn’t deepen the relationship during end-of-season talks.

So McCarthy leaves to interview other teams and Prescott remains the face of the franchise while waiting for the next coach to be named.

If you chart these things, Pat Mahomes has played for only one head coach. Same with Jackson. Goff has played for three head coaches, four if you count John Fassel, who was the interim coach during his rookie season. Aaron Rodgers has played for three head coaches (five if you count interims).

Sometimes continuity matters in sports, and other times it’s about relationships.

Prescott will miss Thursday night’s discussions with McCarthy about the game plan, life and the overall closeness built over five seasons.

“I think it’s just a discussion about what we did throughout the week and how we want to enter the game,” Prescott said in October. “Potentially why he’s going to try to run the run game or why that’s going to happen. So no, it’s just another opportunity for us to communicate and be on the same page.

As the 2024 season progressed, it was clear that McCarthy’s future was more than uncertain. Jerry Jones said positive things about McCarthy. Prescott did the same. He didn’t want change.

“I don’t know exactly what he said, but it’s like anything we’re in the fifth year of a program, we have a lot of great things in place,” McCarthy said at the end of the season. “I think there are some things we can improve on and I think it’s all part of growing up. It’s no different than how I felt in fifth or sixth grade when I had my last opportunity.

McCarthy won’t get the chance.

Prescott will move on because, as he said, “it’s a business.”

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