The legal tampering period for free agency started this past Monday, lasting two days before giving way to full free agency on Wednesday, March 13th.
Dallas’ front office has been quiet, ending the first day as the only team in the NFL not to sign a player from outside of the organization.
The only move they made was re-signing LS Trent Sieg to a one-year deal, followed Wednesday by a puddle splash signing of DC Mike Zimmer’s former player, LB Eric Kendricks.
Dak Prescott’s possible extension to help relieve the $59 million salary cap hit should be first on the Cowboys’ agenda, but reports say those talks have stalled.
It’s a difficult conversation to have, but what if the stall in the contract talks has nothing to do with the Cowboys?
What if Dak Prescott is setting himself up for unrestricted free agency in 2025?
Cowboys fans are clutching their chests at that suggestion, but the NFL is a business, and this could be Prescott’s last big payday of his career.
As a fellow #GirlDad, I understand where Prescott is coming from. His contracts are no longer just about him, but about leaving a legacy and financial stability for generations.
An odd observation by a user on Twitter/X brought an interesting scenario to the situation.
Should Prescott be in a different uniform at any point in his career, he will be the first Dallas Cowboys quarterback to start 50+ games for the Cowboys and play for a different team.
Let’s review that revered list and everything they accomplished with their time with the team.
Don Meredith
“Dandy Don” Meredith, as he was affectionately called, was the franchise’s second starting quarterback after Eddie LeBaron.
Meredith played at Southern Methodist University (SMU) before being drafted by the Cowboys with the 32nd overall pick in the 1960 NFL Draft. Back then that was a third-round pick.
He is considered by many to be the original Dallas Cowboy because he arrived to the franchise before Tom Landry.
Meredith started 83 games for the Cowboys in the 1960s, retiring suddenly in 1969 after being benched in favor of Craig Morton.
Dandy Don is perhaps most known for completing the longest pass in NFL history without any YAC (yards after catch) when he completed an 83-yard pass to “Bullet” Bob Hayes.
Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach is widely regarded as the most talented quarterback in franchise history.
When Cowboys fans play those games where you have to build your all-time franchise roster using all players in history, Staubach is often the choice for the quarterback.
Staubach attended college at Navy, serving six years before joining the Cowboys in 1969 following the retirement of Don Meredith.
Captain Comeback, as he is also known, split time with Craig Morton before finally earning Landry’s trust to be the full-time starter.
All he did was lead the Cowboys to five Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl victories (1971 and 1977).
Staubach is most known for his ability to lead his team to victory from a deficit but also coined the “Hail Mary” play that is still used in today’s NFL.
Danny White
Danny White started 13 seasons for the Cowboys, starting 92 games from 1976 to 1988, sometimes splitting snaps with Staubach.
White is often called the 20th-century Tony Romo, talented enough to take his team the distance, but cursed by bad luck.
In 1981, White had a better game than Joe Montana during the NFC Championship at Candlestick Park.
This was “The Catch” game by Dwight Clark, a game in which White drove to give the Cowboys a lead late in the 4th quarter.
It was White’s best chance at reaching a Super Bowl, but despite playing seven more seasons, he never got that opportunity again.
Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman is still one of the most respected players in franchise history thanks to quarterbacking the Cowboys to Super Bowl victories in three out of four seasons.
Aikman was a great leader and vocal presence in the Cowboys locker room and arrived in Dallas as HC Jimmy Johnson’s first draft pick.
Johnson selected Aikman #1 overall in the 1989 NFL Draft, and after a couple of rough seasons, the team started to take shape around him.
After adding players like Emmitt Smith to run behind a mammoth offensive line, the Cowboys were one of the most dominant teams of the 1990s, rivaled only by San Francisco in the NFC.
There are too many good memories of Aikman to list, but one of my favorites is when he brought the Cowboys back from down 35-14 to the Washington Redskins in the 4th quarter.
Aikman led Dallas to three touchdown drives in the 4th quarter and capped off the overtime victory with a moonshot to Raghib “Rocket” Ismail to end the game.
Tony Romo
Tony Romo is an odd player to analyze because half of the fanbase loves him so much that they’ve turned to hating Dak Prescott for replacing him in 2016.
The other half of the fanbase hates him for constantly coming up short when it mattered most, spending yet another franchise quarterback’s career without a Super Bowl appearance.
Romo was an undrafted free agent signed by the Cowboys in 2003 under HC Bill Parcells and OC Sean Payton.
He worked at his craft for three years before finally replacing a benched Drew Bledsoe at halftime of a Monday Night Football game in 2006.
Romo never looked back until the 2016 preseason, when a back injury forced him to renounce his position as the starting quarterback of the Cowboys.
Instead, Romo retired and became an absolute star in the CBS broadcasting booth alongside Jim Nantz.
I have so many good memories of Romo on the field, but he is perhaps most known for the longest nine-yard run in the history of the NFL.
The ball was snapped over Romo’s head, and he chased it down nearly 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage, eventually weaving in and out of defenders for a nine-yard gain.
Romo was also the arm behind Dez Bryant’s “catch, no catch” in Green Bay during the Divisional Round of the playoffs at Lambeau Field.
Dak Prescott
Prescott’s legacy isn’t complete, but the biggest question remaining is if he will even get to complete that legacy in Dallas.
Reports say there has been no movement in contract talks, and it appears one or both parties may be willing to let Dak play out his contract season and test free agency in 2025.
My opinion is when you have a franchise quarterback, you don’t let them leave your building.
In this case, it may be that Prescott won’t be able to be held at the door, and he is planning to leave for another franchise in 2025.