The 2024 Dallas Cowboys: A Season of Unfortunate Events
Last season was a nightmare that didn't really happen right?
One year ago today, I woke up pumped to put on my USA gear as I prepared for a family barbeque at my cousin’s house. Like any normal weekday, I had to wake up and check social media to ensure nothing was happening before leaving the house.
Thank God I did.
I will never forget the sheer panic I felt typing the breaking news article for Blogging the Boys about what looked like Dak Prescott wearing a boot on vacation. Everyone instantly put on their inspector hats, trying to figure out if it was indeed the quarterback of America’s Team.
At that moment, even amidst the lack of communication in contract negotiations with Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, I thought that photo would be the worst and strangest thing to happen that season.
It turns out that image was just the tip of the star for what would become of the 2024 season. There would be many more unfortunate events to sift through, starting with the playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers at home.
1) Cowboys lose to Green Bay Packers 48-32 at home
This would be the straw that effectively broke the camel’s back for the Cowboys. Heading into their best playoff positioning since the 2016 season, Dallas would be hosting the 7th seed Green Bay Packers and have home-field advantage for most of the 2023 playoffs.
At the very least, what was supposed to be a competitive victory over the extremely young and raw Packers team turned into a sequel to the SAW franchise. Almost every player and coach could have been held responsible for the no-show performance, which ended with questions about the franchise's future.
Would Mike McCarthy be let go before the final year of his contract? What would become of Dak Prescott’s contract situation? Would Dan Quinn return as DC or supplant McCarthy as the next head coach?
A lot went wrong on January 24, 2024, setting up the spiral that would occur just eight months later.
2) Jerry Jones brings back Mike McCarthy as HC
In hindsight, with a year to sit on the Wild Card loss, this was probably the most shocking move of the 2024 offseason, considering Dallas was coming off its worst postseason performance in franchise history.
However, after three consecutive 12-win seasons, Jerry Jones felt like McCarthy earned the chance to finish out his contract and prove he was worth another deal.
(Jerry Jones’ released statement on retaining McCarthy for the 2025 season)
3) Micah Parsons has Jordan Love on his podcast during the playoffs
Fans know by now that Micah Parsons is very plugged in with everything related to media and social media. Now, being the President of Content for B/R Gridiron, he has the platform for his podcast.
One of the episodes after the season that aired featured him with Jordan Love, who is still fresh off the playoff loss. I believe Parsons can do whatever he wants, but I know that fans were upset at the time that he had Love on as a guest.
4) Cowboys hire Mike Zimmer after Dan Quinn leaves for Washington, 11 days later.
After the 2023 season, the Cowboys lost many veteran players. Still, none more than Dan Quinn. Players like Dante Fowler, Tyler Biadasz, and Dorance Armstrong followed Quinn to the division rival Washington Commanders.
Despite the awful final impression Quinn left, his tenure in Dallas greatly exceeded that and changed the culture and outside perception of what the Cowboys defense could be. Quinn is why Micah Parsons has become one of the most feared edge rushers in the NFL.
Once he left, the pool of proven coordinators was limited. However, Mike Zimmer emerged as the most logical choice given the “win-now” circumstances. The one concern was if his stern coaching demeanor would connect with the Cowboys locker room.
5) Cowboys sign just Eric Kendricks and Zeke Elliott at the start of free agency
The 2023 offseason will go down as one of the most memorable in recent history, and it was for all the wrong reasons. If the Cowboys were truly in this “win-now” mode, they needed to recoup the losses of veteran players like Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, Johnathan Hankins, and the three who left for Washington.
Instead, the front office went in the opposite direction and signed Eric Kendricks, Royce Freeman, and Ezekiel Elliott. Kendricks proved to have the staying power of the three, but maybe the franchise’s lack of involvement signaled that all of the pressure would be on McCarthy and his staff.
6) Jerry Jones’ “All In” comment during the draft
My teachers often quiz us on historical figures in history class and match them with their most famous quotes. A fun exercise that would examine the most impactful sayings to define our nation for generations.
Jerry Jones has said a lot in his time as Owner and General Manager, but national media heard “All In” just once and ran with it to the ends of the earth. I am also guilty of using that phrase WAY TOO MUCH, but it was the low-hanging fruit.
I’m assuming every check Jones writes can be cashed, but saying Dallas was “all in” and then not acting on it was one check that should never have been brought to the bank in the first place.
7) Jerry Jones’ love for Jonathan Brooks
After Tony Pollard, the team’s leading rusher for the last two seasons, departed for the Tennessee Titans, Dallas needed a running back. For the first time in a long time, the free agency pool at the position featured a ton of talent.
Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Aaron Jones, among other veteran players, were available on the market. Maybe Dallas was scared to play ball by offering more than $10 million a year to a “depreciated asset.”
Instead, the team looked to the draft, and Jerry Jones had difficulty hiding his love for Texas running back Jonathan Brooks before the second round. Brooks was unlikely to make it to Dallas anyway, as most considered him to be one of the best at his position in the class. But it was only fitting that after Jones called Brooks one of the best interviews ever, he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers ten picks before Dallas.
8) Boot Gate with Dak Prescott (4th of July)
The intro already mentioned Boot Gate 2024. I'm sure many people in the local media remember what they had for breakfast that day. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. Shout out to Juan Carlos Vázquez for breaking the internet.
9) The “LOL” heard around the world
CeeDee Lamb was due for a significant payday entering the final year of his rookie deal (2024 was his 5th year option season). Justin Jefferson signed his contract earlier in the offseason, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, thus setting the parameters of what Lamb and his representatives expected.
As we have all discovered together, contract extensions move at a snail’s pace in Dallas, so Lamb sat out for almost the entire offseason and spent time away from the team. His holdout stretched to training camp.
Whenever Lamb posted or commented on something last offseason, it was priority No. 1 in the news cycle. I found that out the hard way when I posted about him hosting a youth camp in July, and it could be the first time we heard from Lamb about his contract status. The star wide receiver made it clear he would answer zero questions about contract talks and have his focus solely on the kids. I can’t argue with him there.
Lamb’s recent episodic documentary on YouTube highlighted that moment and how he felt after Jerry Jones talked about his deal not being an urgency to get done. Who knew a simple lingo most people use in text would carry such a powerful message? It was the all lowercase letters that made me realize he was upset.
10) Dak Prescott talks about “thoughts of playing somewhere else.”
It was the first time we had heard Dak Prescott talk about having “no fear” of his future, whether in Dallas or elsewhere after the 2025 season. Hearing Prescott say this out loud made me very concerned about the direction of contract negotiations.
11) Sam Williams torn ACL in the first week of training camp
Just a gut punch of an injury, no less, during one of the first training camp practices. Sam Williams was primed to take a big leap entering his third year and showed some outstanding flashes in 2023 as a rotational player.
However, his injury would be a precursor to what would ultimately define the 2024 season—injuries.
12) Cowboys DT pushes Rams staff member
I’m just 28 years old, and I've been covering football professionally for less than half the time I’ve been alive. To this day, I don’t think I have ever seen a stranger thing happen in practice when the clip surfaced on social media from none other than Jon Machota.
The best and maybe worst part about the video is that I didn’t realize until watching it repeatedly that Albert Huggins (who did not embody his last name) flipped off the Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman on his way back to Dallas’ side.
No one should do this in any work setting, even on a football field.
13) Fire breaks out at the Cowboys’ hotel in Oxnard
Yeah, this happened. Again, another thing that happened from last offseason seems to fit right in line with how topsy-turvy the season was.
14) DaRon Bland's foot injury a week before the season
Even with Trevon Diggs returning from the ACL injury he suffered in 2023, the Cowboys had an All-Pro corner in their back pocket to allow Diggs to slow play his recovery if he needed to before Week 1.
Bland was coming off a historic season and would look to capitalize on it after an intense training camp. Unfortunately, like Williams, the injury bug got hold of Bland, and he had a stress fracture in his foot that kept him out for most of the season.
The finalist for Defensive Player of the Year just a season earlier never found his footing returning to the field later in the year. Things could have been a lot different if not for that injury.
15) CeeDee Lamb signs his extension after holding out
The contract dispute with one of the Cowboys cornerstone players ended, making CeeDee Lamb one of the highest-paid at his position in the league. A well-deserved contract for a player who has lived up to the jersey number on his back.
Lamb detailed the events leading up to the signing in episode one of his self-made documentary about last season.
16) Dak Prescott signs record-setting contract extension HOURS before Week 1
Talk about timing. The Dak Prescott contract negotiation came down to the wire, literally hours before he hoped to head to the stadium for Week 1 on the team bus.
The article I wrote back in March contains everything you need to know about this negotiation with Prescott’s agents at Athletes First. It can be found here.
The biggest takeaway from the article is that Todd France, Prescott’s agent, felt confident that if a deal had not been done with Dallas, they would have gone into free agency in 2025, willing to explore options outside the Cowboys. A reality I am more than happy not to be a part of.
17) Jordan Phillips' phantom wrist injury
Jordan Phillips was a defensive tackle the Cowboys traded for before the final cut-down days with the New York Giants. The assumption is that Dallas felt he could have a market with other teams, so they wanted to get him before he hit the market. They desperately needed help at defensive tackle, prompting them to sign Linval Joseph.
Phillips didn’t have a great start to the season, and at one point was caught going after an offensive lineman during the New Orleans Saints blowout loss rather than going after the quarterback.
A few days later, Phillips lands on injured reserve for a wrist injury. However, when asked about it in the locker room, Phillips mentioned he didn’t know why he landed on IR and that it was “above” his pay grade. Was it a disciplinary move by Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff? Who knows, but Phillips would later be released that season and sign with the Buffalo Bills.
18) Dak Prescott comments while walking to the locker room, “Jump off if you want to.”
Dak Prescott usually keeps things cool even after a loss, but this was after a second consecutive blowout loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens. While walking back to the locker room, Prescott was caught on camera saying to the media, “Jump off if you want to.”
He didn’t say anything wrong, but Prescott seemed out of character to say something like that in the moment. Feeling the pressure of two lackluster performances at home can make people do things out of the ordinary.
19) ESPN article with former players talking about the tours and the distraction of the star
Just when we thought we had exhausted our topics regarding the Cowboys, something else fell from the sky right into our laps (we’ll get to that later). In October, ESPN's Kalyn Kahler asked if the team facility tours were a hurdle to postseason success.
It was just a small question that led to the larger topic of whether the Star’s shine is too bright and a distraction for the players who wear it. Former tight end Dalton Schultz was the first to discuss distractions openly on the Pat McAfee Show. Kahler also got former players, like KJ Henry, Jayron Kearse, Dorance Armstrong, Tony Pollard, Kelvin Joseph, and Dante Fowler, to discuss it on the record.
While not all of the comments were negative, it was the first time more than one player was willing to engage in the topic of the spotlight that comes in Dallas, being a potential distraction.
20) Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence got injured in the same game
It’s just Week 4 of the regular season, and the team was already without Sam Williams and DaRon Bland. Two more players would be added to the list after their win against the New York Giants.
Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence would be lost for at least four games with lower-body injuries. This would be the first time Parsons missed any game time, and the defense was now down three of their top pass rushers.
It wouldn’t be the last as rookie Marshawn Kneeland, who was ready to take on a starting role, injured his knee the following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers and would be lost for most of the year.
21) Brandin Cooks’ knee infection from an injection
If losing two starters wasn’t bad enough after the win in New York, the team’s second wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, had an infection develop in his knee from injections to prevent getting his knee scoped.
In putting things together for when the information came out. Since then, it sounds like Cooks had the injections done outside the team facility with his own doctors. The infection would cause Cooks to miss the next seven games and not return until Week 13.
22) Jerry Jones’ appearance on Shan & RJ (10/15/24)
This would end up being the spiciest moment of the season: Jerry Jones being interviewed during his weekly appearance on Shan and RJ on 105.3 The Fan, almost threatening to remove the hosts from their positions at the station or no longer appear on their show.
Either way, talking about it wouldn’t do it justice, so listen to the entire appearance/interview for yourself.
23) Brandon Aubrey gets Jury Duty
That day, I found out that, just like the rest of us, even NFL athletes must fulfill their civil obligation of attending jury duty. Aubrey didn’t miss time because of it and was able to have an excuse not to attend.
24) The Jones family gets into an accident ahead of the 49ers game
This was another thing I forgot until re-reading the list I compiled of things happening last season. The family car that housed Jerry Jones, his children, and his grandson was hit by a barricade outside Levi Stadium
Luckily, no one was injured in this event. Just another strange occurrence, part of the 2024 season.
25) Rico Dowdle gets sick on game day
The Cowboys never really figured out their running back rotation, even after Rico Dowdle showed more than enough against the Pittsburgh Steelers; he was the best back on the roster.
Dowdle got ill before the game against the San Francisco 49ers. These things happen, but people on social media were putting on their investigator hats again, especially after Jordan Phillips' “wrist injury.”
It was the first game Dalvin Cook (yeah, he was on the practice squad!) would be elevated for game day action. He followed that up with six attempts for 12 rushing yards.
26) Trevon Diggs, Mike Leslie situation post-game
Some players don’t like the media, so take the Marshawn Lynch approach and talk to them so they don’t get fined. Other players are plugged into social media and know what is said about them online.
Trevon Diggs has a strong online presence. After the loss to the 49ers in San Francisco, Diggs took offense to something Mike Leslie posted earlier in the game about a George Kittle catch-and-run. Instead of handling the matter privately, Diggs approached Leslie outside the locker room and called him out for his tweet.
The two made up a few days later, Diggs’ media availability, and cleared the air. This moment, however, shows how tensions can get the best of us in difficult situations and when adversity hits. That loss would be the third straight against the 49ers and the second one in three years in their building.
27) Ezekiel Elliott decides not to travel with the team to Atlanta
Re-signing Ezekiel Elliott was never supposed to solve the team’s issues at running back, but there was hope that a year away from the team in New England would rejuvenate the former franchise star and turn back the clock.
It never worked out, and Elliott could not capture the same magic he had in Dallas earlier in his career. This was the tipping point for the former Pro Bowl back, who was unhappy with his role on the team and wanted to clarify his voice/stance.
The team also benched the running back in response to “habitual absences” from meetings. Elliott’s curtain call in Dallas ended with 226 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The team would later release him, granting his wish of joining a playoff contender looking to chase a Super Bowl. Elliott landed with the Los Angeles Chargers, who were bounced out of the playoffs on Wild Card weekend.
28) Dak Prescott hurts his hamstring in the loss to the Falcons, leading to season-ending surgery.
Even with a healthy Prescott at quarterback, the team struggled to find answers on offense. This would be the final nail in Dallas’ hopes of reaching the postseason for a fourth consecutive season.
Did Prescott injure his hamstring on the longest run by any Cowboy to that point in the season? Maybe, but only Prescott knows the answer for sure. I chalk it up to just bad luck and the nature of the season from hell for everyone involved. Even his signature Romo-style touchdown to Rico Dowdle isn’t remembered because it’s caught in the shadow of this injury. Just so things aren’t all doom and gloom, here’s a replay of that touchdown.
29) Curtain gate 2024: Home Game vs. Philadelphia Eagles
It wouldn’t be a signature season from the Black Lagoon without the sun, and the lack of curtains at home is a topic of conversation in Dallas. When the Cowboys offense was marching down the field, trying to gain momentum, CeeDee Lamb lost the ball in the sunlight, which should have been a touchdown.
The stadium’s lack of curtains during an afternoon gameday came into question again. It’s not like the team does not have any. The curtains have been up for major concerts and events, so it’s not like they don’t exist. Is there any logical reason why they are not there on game day? To quote Jordan Phillips, I’m sorry that’s above my pay grade.
30) Jerry Jones says on 105.3 The Fan that Kellen Moore knew where the sun was as the Cowboys' OC
After the loss to the Eagles, Jerry was asked by the media about the curtains and the sun being an issue for his players. Jones responded very Jones-like: "I’m saying, the world knows where the sun is. You get to know that almost a year in advance. Someone asked me about the sun. What about the sun? Where’s the moon?”
Jones went on the radio the next day and said the sun gave the team a home-field advantage. He also talked about Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and how he would have known where the sun was.
“Kellen Moore knew about it,” Jones said. “He spent, I’m sure he spent a lot of time — their coordinator, who used to be here — I’m sure he spent a lot of time planning and thinking about where the sun is going to be. He should.”
Could this have been a shot at Mike McCarthy for not scheming up a play that took Lamb’s route away from the sun? Even Lamb admitted the sun was a distraction and was 1000% in favor of putting up curtains. It was more of a deflection, trying to take the heat off Jones, but the Cowboys owner made his point clear. Dallas has to work around it for now, like everyone else does.
31) The first time the roof opens on MNF vs the Texans, the sky begins to fall
It’s a shame Chicken Little wasn’t at AT&T Stadium that night against the Houston Texans, because he wouldn’t have had to convince anyone when he said the sky was falling.
Sticking with the theme of unfortunate events, the first time the Cowboys opened the roof for a home game in two years, pieces of the roof began to fall from the sky before the game started. Luckily, no one was injured, but the roof was never opened for the rest of the season, and God went another year without ever watching America’s Team.
32) Zack Martin's season-ending IR Ankle Surgery; Last time we saw him wear the Star
This one probably hurt the most to see. The Cowboys were already on their way to losing the game against the Texans, only to see Zack Martin get injured before it was over. Martin went down to one knee, and on the broadcast looked to say “I can’t go,” shaking his head to the medical staff.
That is not how anyone wanted to see Martin’s career end, but that would be the final time Martin stepped onto the field. He retired this offseason, deciding to hang up his cleats. He will go down as an all-time Cowboy and be a first-ballot Hall of Fame player five years from now. Unfortunately, he won’t have a Super Bowl trophy next to his name in Canton.
33) Daniel Jones’ photo on the team website
Of course, this happened and was quickly fixed. It was a glitch on the team’s website. This is the one time a picture is not worth 1,000 words. I don’t want to waste another one on this; I just wanted to highlight it. That’s enough words.
34) On the radio after the Washington game, Jerry Jones says, “He doesn’t think it’s crazy to believe he could offer Mike McCarthy a contract extension.”
The Cowboys were coming off an emotional victory on the road against a surging Washington Commanders team, versus their former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn. Entering the season, Jones was adamant he would not talk about Mike McCarthy’s job security until after the season was over and they evaluated everything.
This was the first time he backed up his head coach during the season, saying it was entirely possible McCarthy would be back with a contract extension in Dallas despite their struggles. At least that vote of confidence took the pressure off McCarthy’s shoulders, even if it was minimal.
35) Tyson chicken nuggets: Cowboys themed
Speaking of chicken. Something like this flies under the radar of almost everyone else on the planet, but I thought announcing Cowboys-themed chicken tenders is funny when the team is at least four games below .500.
36) Dak Prescott vocally endorses Mike McCarthy's return to coach next year under a new extension…..
Even with the star quarterback sidelined for the season, Prescott wanted to express his feelings about Mike McCarthy and his deservingness of a new deal.
The one thing Prescott said that caught the media's attention was that he hoped Mike McCarthy would get a chance to have “more influence on his terms.”
37) …only for Mike McCarthy to say the next day he doesn’t know what Prescott meant by that
I’m sure McCarthy appreciated his quarterback’s ringing endorsement for him to stay in Dallas. Still, he probably didn’t want his quote to become a distraction or maybe make the front office believe he was using players as a way for him to return to Dallas.
The next day, McCarthy addressed the comments, saying he’d had the most input he’d ever had as the head coach in Dallas and didn’t know exactly what Prescott said.
The players seemed to enjoy their time with McCarthy, so I believe the star quarterback truly meant what he said about wanting his coach back. From McCarthy’s point of view, it probably would have been best for him to leave the part about control out.
38) The botched blocked punt against the Bengals
The Cowboys had the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals (even though they were not good either) on the ropes, but they would somehow find a way to win the game with Cooper Rush and a depleted team. The Cowboys had been losing at home all season, and it looked like things were finally changing… that is what I said until I saw Amani Oruwariye blow up the blocked punt.
You feel bad for the kid, but you know that he was just trying to make a play on the ball. It’s a hard lesson from the NFL, and I’m sure he’ll never forget it. It was just another cherry on top of the crazy moments that happened last year.
39) DeMarvion Overshown & Trevon Diggs lost to season-ending injuries
The loss at home to the Bengals went from worse to apocalyptic. DeMarvion Overshown, a star in the making last season, left the game in the fourth quarter with what looked like a nasty knee injury. It was later confirmed to be serious, and the young linebacker would need season-ending surgery for the second straight season.
Trevon Diggs also left the game with an injury, which will result in his landing on season-ending injured reserve.
Both players should come back at some point this season, but in a lost year where it didn’t amount to anything, you wish they could hit the reset button and get a clean start as early as Week 1.
40) Strange rumors about Micah trade despite Stephen Jones’ comments about keeping him long term
Stephen Jones spoke to NFL.com about wanting to keep Micah Parsons with the team long term and said, “You don't do well in this league letting guys like Micah, usually, leave the house.
Then, trade rumors started to float around about Parsons and whether he would be traded in the offseason (which, of course, has not and will not happen). Maybe the rumors started with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, but the noise got loud enough that Parsons had to address it on his podcast.
41) Mike McCarthy gets support from Jerry Jones after a win at home against Tampa Bay
The Cowboys' best win of the season came against the would-be playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where they finally looked like the team fans hoped for all season, albeit with bandaged up, super-glued, and duct-taped.
After the game, Jerry Jones spoke to the media and once again supported his head coach, saying, “Mike McCarthy, he just won’t let them not think they’re playing for the Super Bowl out there. He won’t let them do it. Proud of that. Proud of the coach.”
42) Someone breaks into the car of Dak Prescott’s fiancée. Do you leave anything important in your car?
This is a cruel reminder that there are just bad people out there who want to do bad things. No one was hurt, which is the most important thing, but apparently, the people who broke into the car got away with a lot of valuable items. The total value of what was taken was around $40,000.
This begs the question: Do you keep anything valuable in your car at all times and not worry about someone stealing it? Did you change your mind after hearing about this incident?
43) Cowboys end season with uncertainty around Mike McCarthy’s future, wait one week, and decide to move on
The final season of the McCarthy era in Dallas ended with a last-minute loss at home to Quinn’s Commanders. The Cowboys had a 7-10 record, the first time since McCarthy’s inaugural season in Dallas.
A real full-circle moment for the head coach in the worst way. Should the Cowboys have given McCarthy another bite at the apple for at least a few more seasons? Maybe, but we won’t be able to answer that until we see what’s in store for 2025. I’m sure McCarthy wanted more security than just a one to two-year contract. Ultimately, it took about a week, but both sides came to a “mutual” decision to part ways and go in separate directions.
44) The front office conducts a small head coaching search, landing on Brian Schottenheimer
The final piece of the puzzle before turning the page to chapter 2025 was the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as the team’s next head coach. Dallas conducted a very small coaching search and decided not to interview big-name candidates like Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn.
Once they interviewed Schottenheimer, it seemed like he immediately won the front office over and forced them to stop looking elsewhere. So far this offseason, Schotty has been the biggest winner because of the way he’s connected with his players, talks to the media, and makes an effort to honor the legacy of the Cowboys brand.
Who knows if this will all translate into wins on the field, but we can’t answer that now because his story hasn’t been written. For the sake of the sanity of this fanbase I love so dearly, I hope this chapter is more like a fairy tale than something out of the Darkhold.