There are many benefits to being the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
You’re on television often because no team moves the ratings needle like the Cowboys. You get several national endorsements and commercials. And it’s been a springboard to coveted broadcasting jobs.
Why would anyone voluntarily leave America’s Team? Well, if you’re Dak Prescott, it might be time to consider a change of address.
Dallas is having one of the most uninspired off-seasons in recent franchise history. It started with the decision to bring back Mike McCarthy for a lame-duck season after yet another early playoff exit. The Cowboys let numerous veterans walk and still haven’t reached extensions with young stars CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. They didn’t draft a running back despite it being the team’s most pressing need.
And, oh yeah, Prescott is slated for a $55.1 million salary cap hit in the final year of his deal. Prescott will become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 if he doesn’t reach a new deal.
All of this makes you wonder. Octogenarian owner Jerry Jones doesn’t seem to be operating with any sense of urgency. He said this team is “all in,” but his actions tell a different story. The Cowboys haven’t made any moves that lead you to believe they’ll be a serious Super Bowl contender.
Over the weekend, NFL Network analysts Bucky Brooks and Maurice Jones-Drew openly criticized the franchise.
Brooks said, “Dak Prescott is probably just wondering, ‘What are we doing in Dallas?’”
And Jones-Drew added, “When Jerry Jones came out and said, ‘all-in,’ it created expectation, right? From fans. People in the media. Expectation. We just haven’t seen that all-in type of movement that we thought we would see.”
If NFL Network is dunking on you, that says a lot.
Prescott, 30, must strongly consider moving on. He has already exceeded expectations after being a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2016. A change of scenery might be just what he needs to take his game to the next level.
Imagine Prescott as a free agent. If Kirk Cousins can land a four-year, $180 million contract, what’s Prescott worth on the open market? He’s had a more successful career and was the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up.
That's FOUR touchdown passes on the day for Dak Prescott!
— SportsDay Cowboys (@dmn_cowboys) October 29, 2023
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/dUsXW9hOND
Focus on Prescott’s postseason failures if you want, but there’s no denying that he’d be an immediate upgrade for most teams. It’s hard to predict what the market will look like in 2025. We don’t know what coaches will be fired or what franchises will give up on their quarterbacks.
No one expected Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to be with the Pittsburgh Steelers, or that Cousins would sign with the Atlanta Falcons. There are potential landing spots for Prescott. The Arizona Cardinals might want to move on from the Kyler Murray experience, and they will have the seventh-most salary cap space for 2025. You can’t discount the New York teams. Both have incumbents coming off of season-ending injuries. The Giants didn’t draft a quarterback, and Daniel Jones has been underwhelming. The Jets don’t know how much longer Aaron Rodgers will play and he turns 41 in December.
Prescott will have options and leverage for the first time in his pro career. It might be time to use them to get away from the Cowboys.