Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is in win-now mode after an embarrassing 48-32 wild-card loss to the Packers at home on Jan. 14.
Jones, who said he was “floored” after the No. 7-seeded Packers ran circles around the No. 2 Cowboys, explained his plans to “go all in” this offseason.
“I think we’ll push the hell out of it,” the 81-year-old Jones told reporters Tuesday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. “It will be going all in on different people than you’ve done in the past. We’ll be going all in.
“… I would say that you will see us this coming year not building for the future. That’s the best way I know how to say it. That ought to answer a lot of questions.”
The Cowboys are the first team in NFL history to win 12 games in three straight seasons and fail to make the conference championship.
“We’ll do things that honor the fact that we didn’t play well against the Packers,” Jones said. “I will do some things differently this year. I’m not for sure what they’re going to be, but I’ll do some things differently.”
Jones did say that two areas he will seek change in are stopping the run on defense and running the ball better on offense.
The 2023 season was the first campaign during which Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy was the offensive play-caller for quarterback Dak Prescott.
Jones’ comments came after he supported McCarthy after the wild-card loss, and decided to bring him back for a fifth season in the final year of his contract.
“Overwhelmingly, I thought the best decision was to have the continuity that Mike brings,” Jones said. “When I look at the job he’s done over the last four years, I can point to some real positives, not the least of which are his 12-win seasons.”
Jones also credited McCarthy with helping Prescott improve, and spoke highly of the ninth-year quarterback.
“The thing I would emphasize more than anything is that Dak has room for improvement,” Jones said. “And not just the scheme around him, but Dak can improve.
“That’s a big plus when you’ve been playing the game (eight) years and by assessment have some room to get better in. He did this year. I expect him to do it next year and the next year.”
The wild-card loss to the Packers was the Cowboys’ 13th straight playoff appearance without reaching a conference championship.
At the time, Jones said the blowout defeat was “beyond my comprehension.”
Prescott finished 41 of 60 for 403 yards with three touchdowns, but that was mostly in garbage time — and threw two interceptions.
The Pro Bowl quarterback has one season remaining on his four-year, $160 million contract, and the Cowboys reportedly have prioritized doing a contract extension for Prescott.
