On the one hand, Dak Prescott is unquestionably the long-term starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and anybody who believes otherwise is simply living in denial. But on the other hand…
The club failed to come to terms with the fifth-year superstar in the offseason, using the dreaded franchise tag to secure his services for the 2020 season and casting some degree of doubt on just how the organization feels about the worth of their two-time Pro Bowler. The fact that Prescott will have played just four and a half games of what is essentially a 16-game prove-it deal- and will not have played any actual football at all for months- when it finally comes time for the two sides to negotiate once again certainly doesn’t help Prescott amass many bargaining chips.
Add to that an abysmal 2-7 record thus far that seems to be steering the Cowboys toward a high 2021 draft pick, and the rumor mill is buzzing about the possibility of the Jones family moving on from Prescott in favor of a highly-touted (and significantly cheaper) rookie quarterback.
Team owner Jerry Jones attempted to quash those rumblings during a phone interview Tuesday with Dallas station 105.3 The Fan.
Morning hosts Shan and RJ asked Jones if, given the circumstances, it would be “crazy” to entertain the notion of the team using their first-round pick on a top-tier collegiate passer.
“Yes,” Jones replied. “You ask me if it’s crazy to bring the idea up? And I’ve answered it, yes. It’s not the thing to be talking about at all. Dak is our quarterback.”
It’s a classic case of the grass always being greener at a place like Clemson or Ohio State or BYU, where- respectively- Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson are currently lighting up the college game. The Cowboys would ostensibly be able to select one of those quarterbacks with what would- if the season ended today- be the third overall pick in April’s draft.
But Prescott has not only been a model player on and off the field for America’s Team, he’s reportedly ahead of schedule on making a recovery from the devastating ankle injury that saw him carted off during the Cowboys’ October 11 win over the Giants.
And despite a contingent of the fanbase being ready to blow it all up and start over with a first-year signal-caller in 2021, the club maintains that the former fourth-rounder is their man moving forward.
“Dak’s our quarterback. We’re so fired up about him and leading us into the future,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Monday. “We’re fired up about our future with Dak.”
The Cowboys have yet to win a game this season that Prescott didn’t start. Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert have all stepped in for Dallas, resulting in an 0-4 mark in those games.
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