Yes, I said it: the Dallas Cowboys won't draft Dak Prescott's replacement in the 2024 draft. If anyone has followed my work on this site, you will understand my thoughts on Prescott; I understand both what it will mean to have him and be without him.
For a while, I thought he was someone who could, at some point, at least win multiple playoff games, something no Cowboys quarterback has done since the 1990s.
Yes, all you Tony Romo fans, he didn't do it either, to remind you.
Most passing yards in a season by a #Cowboys QB:
Tony Romo – 4,903
Dak Prescott – 4,902
Dak Prescott – 4,516
Tony Romo – 4,483
Dak Prescott – 4,483
Tony Romo – 4,211
Tony Romo – 4,184
Danny White – 3,980
Dak Prescott – 3,885
Tony Romo – 3,828— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) April 2, 2024
The Dallas Cowboys got WAY worse this offseason, so if he couldn't do it with the team he had last year, he sure isn't doing it in 2024.
That is one thing that bothers me about Jerry Jones's actions this offseason.
Don't act upset and say you will go “all-in” and let the team get worse. Every time you look, the Cowboys are losing a starter somewhere.
Jerry Jones wants to do things his way and try to win the way he wants.
Cowboys Outlook
So here is the situation I am sure all of you know: Prescott is on the books to count $55.45 million against Dallas' salary cap in 2024.
That is the second-highest cap number in the NFL.
Prescott signed a four-year, $160 million contract in 2021, which included no-trade and no-tag clauses.
An extension or restructure would lower that number for the upcoming season.
The Cowboys deny giving up on trying to negotiate a new deal before the season, but based on what Jerry Jones has said lately, they will let him play out the final year of his contract.
I've thought a lot about it since January & my stance is that the Cowboys will (eventually) accept that the unknown is scarier than Dak Prescott's price tag. https://t.co/WeblnVIyIa
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) April 1, 2024
What I find funny is that Dak Prescott will get the exact same amount from the next team that signs him.
Last season, Prescott had the third-most passing yards in the league with 4,516 and led the NFL in passing touchdowns with 36.
Prescott has a market value of $50.8 million per year.
We can play both sides here; look around the league. Teams would 100% pay that price to get Dak in the door.
Quarterback play is so foul in about 10 cities that it wouldn't warrant a second thought.
“We are where we are.”
There is still time for sides to figure things out, and owner Jerry Jones doesn't seem to be sweating the future, saying Tuesday, “We are where we are. We have our contract. We're locked and loaded for this year, and we can see how we think as we move along.”
Let's not forget that the Cowboys traded for Trey Lance; he is still on this roster, so if Prescott and the offense struggle this season and are that bad, maybe he gets a shot.
Lance was a former third-overall pick, and in the 2024 draft, the first four or five picks will all be quarterbacks.
As a Cowboys fan, I am not looking to take JJ McCarthy or Michael Penix, who has had two major ACL surgeries.
That makes no sense.
If Prescott does not get to at least the NFC title game in 2024, which won't happen with a way worse team, he won't get a new contract, and the next draft is when we can start talking about who the Cowboys can draft inside the top 15.
Dak Prescott is the guy we want leading us into battle on GameDay!
Stop with all the fake narratives.
— DeMarvion Overshown (@AGENT0__) March 30, 2024
Everyone in that Cowboys locker room knows the importance of the impact Dak Prescott brings.
DeMarvion Overshown's tweet above shows that nothing has changed, but if he doesn't get at least a couple of playoff wins and take them to an NFC title game, his time in Dallas might be over.
I want to win just as much as the next guy, but at the same time, I know how much it stinks to not even make the playoffs and go 4-12 every single year.
We have seen that when Dallas didn't have Tony Romo or Dak Prescott throwing the rock.
