Matt Stafford is the poster child.
There’s a very small collection of NFL quarterbacks who can call themselves Super Bowl champions. The last two decades were dominated by Tom Brady, and as such an exclusive group has been made even smaller. The vast majority of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks either achieved success early in their great-to-elite careers, or were guys who were along for the ride (Nick Foles, Brad Johnson). There’s only been one recent, franchise QB who took forever to win a Super Bowl, and that was Stafford, who hoisted the Lombardi in his 13th season.
So when the conversation around current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott comes to whether or not there’s any reason to believe it will ever happen for the now eight-year veteran, Stafford is the only example.
Stafford had to do it for another franchise.
After 12 years of being the face of the Lions, and despite having a top-five all-time target much of his career in Calvin Johnson, Stafford had to resuscitate his postseason chances by going to a new team.
Is that what it will take for Prescott, or will he be able to take the Cowboys over the hump? There’s a contingent of fans who believe he can; though that herd thins after a disastrous team loss where everyone was to blame, like Sunday.
Cowboys Nation has the population size of its own country, so every different opinion on Prescott —and there are dozens of them — is supported by numbers equivalent to the size of other team’s entire fanbases.
Prescott has had his detractors since he took control of the Cowboys offense in 2016.
Whether it was those who were opposed to his draft pedigree as a fourth rounder, those who were fiercely loyal to Tony Romo, those who didn’t want a Black quarterback leading America’s Team or those who simply didn’t think he had the talent necessary to do the job, there have always been naysayers.
And now, with a contract extension looming and almost guaranteed because the Cowboys backed themselves into a corner five years ago, the conversation comes to this. Would Dallas be better served hitting the reset button on the position by trading him?
The belief that Prescott doesn’t have huge value around the league is simple mnded.
Of course, Prescott would have to approve of any deal, but one scan around the landscape would show just how nasty the vocal minority of the fanbase has been and one has to wonder if Prescott would nix a deal if the organization approached him with the idea.
There are numerous franchises who would be improving their chances, in large magnitude, by replacing whatever they have at the position with Prescott. Many of those franchises would absolutely pony up huge draft capital to acquire him, and then make him the highest-paid QB in the league.
Dallas has gone through four coaches across the last 18 years of top QB play from Romo and Prescott.
It’s not a reach to think the issue is the franchise, the environment the plays occur in, not the signal caller. Mental fortitude and toughness trickle down through an organization from the highest levels. Prescott’s done nothing but steward league-leading offenses whenever he’s been healthy, though they certainly haven’t been league-leading in the postseason. Teams would have every reason to believe that like Stafford, a change of scenery could take Prescott from statistical winner to actual champion.
Here’s a look at those teams, ranking which ones make the most sense.