Cowboys Lame Ducks: Dak Prescott & Mike McCarthy 'Fired' After 'Last Year in Dallas' - Unless ...

Cowboys Lame Ducks: Dak Prescott & Mike McCarthy 'Last Year in Dallas' - Unless ... ESPN's Dan Orlovsky's Prediction

October 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy (left) and / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

An "all-in'' type of season for the Dallas Cowboys? Only if you've come to the understanding that, as CowboysSI.com has been reporting, "all in'' really just meant "We'll try in 2024 with no commitments beyond that.''

So ... If the Cowboys don’t make a deep postseason push, many jobs will be on the line. Whether it be head coach Mike McCarthy or quarterback Dak Prescott, who’s entering a contract year with a no-tag clause, immense changes could soon be on the horizon in Dallas.

Appearing on Get Up Wednesday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky spoke about how he believes McCarthy is indeed coaching for his job during the 2024 campaign. ... right alongside Dak.

Dak and McCarthy /

“Unless the Cowboys get to the NFC Championship game and play well, this is the last year for Mike McCarthy in Dallas,” Orlovsky said. "And certainly the last year for Dak Prescott as a Dallas Cowboy.”

Although Dallas has endured a quiet offseason, which includes multiple starters walking away in free agency, expectations are almost as high as ever. The Cowboys enter this season with the fifth-best odds at 13/1 (+1300) to win the Super Bowl, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

After three straight 12-5 seasons, McCarthy’s Cowboys must finally deliver on the biggest stage and brightest lights. McCarthy and Co. have been known lately to fold under those scenarios, not a recipe to keep his job into 2025.

If McCarthy is gone after next season with a presumed disappointing finish, Prescott could follow him out the door. Thanks to Prescott’s no-tag clause, the Cowboys will either have to pay record-breaking figures to keep him around or see him walk for 2026 compensatory draft pick value in free agency.

“Because this is what the reality for the Cowboys is: Dak Prescott is going to play well again this season,” Orlovsky said. “What happens is, when he plays well, one of two things: the Cowboys are either going to pay him $65-plus million a year and still not have a championship to show for it, or he walks, and they get absolutely nothing.”

As our own Mike Fisher has noted on several occasions, he’s heard Prescott’s camp is hoping for a new deal exceeding $60 million annually. This would make the Cowboys’ quarterback the highest paid at his position in NFL history.

It’s time to win big in Dallas or McCarthy and Prescott might very well end up elsewhere in 2025.