5 Cowboys Players Who Will Be Gone if Mike McCarthy is Fired

5. Dak Prescott, QB

Let's just preface this by saying that I don't think the Cowboys should trade Dak Prescott. He's one of the best signal-callers in the league and even played at an MVP level throughout the regular season. Even if you take playoff shortcomings into account, chances are that Dallas can't find a better quarterback by the time the 2024 season starts.

Having said that, I do think the Cowboys could wind up trading Prescott if McCarthy is fired.

The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again while expecting a different result, which you could argue is happening in Dallas. Prescott has led the Cowboys to five postseason appearances since 2016, however, he only has a 2-5 record to show for it.

For comparison, Patrick Mahomes has four postseason wins in the last two seasons alone while Josh Allen has a pair. Hell, even Brock Purdy has two during that span.

It wouldn't be shocking if a new coach came, looked at Prescott's track record and didn't see him as someone capable of winning a Super Bowl in Dallas. A new coach could want to start from scratch with a rookie QB or might even like a veteran system gunslinger who he believes can take the Cowboys to that next step.

As sad as it would be to see Prescott in another jersey, trading your franchise QB isn't the end of the world. The Houston Texans shipped Deshaun Watson out of town in 2022 and are already back in the Divisional Round after drafting C.J. Stroud last April. That isn't to say that turning things around is always that easy, but the blueprint is certainly there.

Throw in the fact that Prescott hits free agency in 2025 and will likely look for a major play day, it's possible that Cowboys fans just saw the last of No. 4 at AT&T Stadium.

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