Mike McCarthy: Cowboys Allow Him 'Most Input' Ever in Personnel, NFL Draft Decisions

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott lended his support to head coach Mike McCarthy on Tuesday, saying he hopes the head coach returns to the team in 2025 and somewhat cryptically added that he hopes McCarthy is able to coach on his own terms.

"I believe in him wholeheartedly," he told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. "I don't want to necessarily get into the nuts and the screws of it all obviously, but I think he definitely deserves a chance—another contract and a chance to coach this team amongst more influence. 'On his terms' may be a good way to say it. But I wholeheartedly believe in him."

On Wednesday, McCarthy said he wasn't quite sure what Prescott meant by saying he deserved to coach with more "influence," but said his voice has been heard with the Cowboys.

"I think it's like any job and this one specifically: I have a clear understanding of the responsibility," he told reporters. "This is the most input I've ever been a part of as a head coach in personnel, particularly in the draft. We spend a tremendous amount of time as a coaching staff on the draft. ... It's different. Just trying to give you a good answer, compare it to my past."

McCarthy is in the final year of his contract, and with the Cowboys at 5-7 and in danger of missing the playoffs, his future is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that team owner and de facto Jerry Jones has always acted as something of an omnipotent presence around the Cowboys, from the business side of the organization down to the football operations.

That hasn't always played well with head coaches who like more autonomy in decision-making, like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells, with accusations in the past that Jones prefers "yes men" in the position. It's unclear if Prescott was hinting that McCarthy had been reduced to something of a "yes man" during his time with Dallas, but it wouldn't be all that surprising given Jones' history.