OXNARD, California – Owner Jerry Jones knows the situation the Dallas Cowboys find themselves in as training camp begins Thursday.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is entering the final year of his contract. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is holding outseeking a new contract. Linebacker Micah Parsons is also in line for a new deal at some point.
“No one is feeling sorry for themselves,” Jones said. “I actually want to tell you how blessed we are to wake up in the morning and have these problems. I’m encouraged, it puts gas in my tank to basically have these problems.”
Despite the feeling of uncertainty surrounding the team, which includes coach Mike McCarthy entering the final year of his contractJones wasn’t worried about heading to the annual training camp in Southern California.
Instead, Jones is focused on what will happen at the end of next season, which he hopes will see the Cowboys win the Super Bowl for the first time since the end of the 1995 season.
“My goal is to win the award for a better way to end the season than to win the award for showing up to camp with my house in order,” he said.
Even with that strong core, playoff success has been elusive since winning the Lombardi Trophy for the third time in four years on January 28, 1996.
Despite reaching the postseason in each of the last three seasons, the Cowboys have notched one victory in that span and have not reached the NFC Championship Game. From them The most recent playoff blow was a 48-32 home loss to the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild card game where Dallas trailed 27-0 in the first half.
Stephen Jones described the continued postseason failures as “the elephant in the room.” Prescott bristled at the question about how last season ended.
“We know that,” said Stephen Jones. “Our fans know this. Everyone knows that. These players know it, Mike knows it, his team knows it. … We need to take the next step. And we haven’t done that, and until we do, there will be frustration.”
The specter of another playoff exit was treated more seriously than the issue of contracts. Stephen Jones said he has had productive conversations with Prescott and Lamb’s agents.
Jerry Jones noted numerous contract disputes across the league. Players compared Lamb’s toughness to that of guard Zack Martin last year, when he received a reworked contract after missing three weeks of camp and the preseason opener.
Even Prescott, who led the league with 36 touchdown passes, said he’s entering this season with a sense of relief knowing he’ll be well rewarded wherever he plays next.
“Obviously I want to be here,” Prescott said. “I want to be here, but when you look at all the great defenders I’ve seen play for other teams. What I mean by saying this is that there is nothing to fear. This could be a reality for me one day. It may not be my decision. So this is the freedom I have.”
Jones was optimistic that Prescott’s ninth season with the Cowboys won’t be his last before admitting the uncertainty that lies ahead.
“Believe it or not, in my life I’ve had a lot of things I wanted and didn’t get because I couldn’t afford it,” Jones said. “Now I’ve learned to live with this in 80-something years? You bet it does, and life goes on.”
___
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
