There is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Dallas Cowboys these days. If it doesn’t clear any time soon, it could create a severe thunderstorm or even a tornado that could ravage the franchise, and much of it has to do with quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott, pass rusher Micah Parsons and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are all due for contract extensions right now. While it is generally believed Parsons and Lamb will get their extensions, it isn’t clear if Prescott will receive his.
If he doesn’t, Prescott will become a free agent next offseason. There has already been speculation that the 2024 season could be his swan song in Dallas, but former NFL head coach Herm Edwards said on ESPN’s “First Take” that if Prescott does leave Big D, he would be making a big mistake.
“You’re not going to play for a better team,” Edwards said. “Who challenges him? The [Philadelphia Eagles]. The [Detroit Lions] … [Green Bay Packers], [San Francisco 49ers], that’s who they got to deal with. That’s who Dak has to deal with to get to the Super Bowl. And that’s what he understands. If you understand that and say, ‘Well, hey, I got the best team I can play on right now. I go somewhere else, I got to start over.’”
The Cowboys have had one of the league’s most talented teams over the last few years, not just because of Prescott, Parsons and Lamb, but also because of studs such as defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Their regular season success hasn’t carried over into the playoffs, as they haven’t reached the NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season, but they sure have the talent to challenge for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Dak Prescott’s best bet may be to remain in Dallas
Perhaps Prescott could get a bigger contract if he left the Cowboys. But in all likelihood, he wouldn’t find himself with a better shot at finally going deep into the NFL playoffs.
“I’m a Dak Prescott fan,” Edwards said. “But when you’ve only won two playoff games, when you’ve only won two in your whole career with a team that is stacked, offensively and defensively … he’s in the best situation he could be in.”
Prescott became a top MVP candidate late last season, and he finished the year with 4,516 passing yards, which was third in the league, and an NFL-high 36 passing touchdowns. He led everyone with 15 interceptions in 2022 despite playing in just 12 games, but in 2023, he got that figure down to nine.
Dallas hasn’t made any significant additions or changes this offseason, and it did lose key contributors such as running back Tony Pollard and defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. But it should still have a good chance of finishing first in the NFC East, even though the Philadelphia Eagles, who were NFC champions in 2022, added star running back Saquon Barkley.
One would think Dak Prescott would want to remain on such a squad rather than take his chances elsewhere in 2025.
