It feels strange to be able to accurately compare Tony Romo and Dak Prescott. For some of us, we correlate Romo with being young and on the rise; now, his successor’s career is even beyond that stage.
Prescott, soon to be 32, will begin his tenth NFL season this September. At that point in Romo’s career, he only had three seasons left; injuries and the emergence of a fresh face knocked him out far faster than fans could have imagined.
Before the now-CBS broadcaster experienced that swift fall from franchise quarterback to rookie mentor, Romo was in a resurgence, posting some of the best numbers of his career, especially following down seasons.
Romo’s bounce-backs became part of his career lore, and in 2025, Prescott is aiming to do the same. If he doesn’t, his future could get murky fast.
Having finished second in Comeback Player of the Year voting once, and following a career-high interceptions season with an MVP runner-up one, Prescott needs to have one more big return this season. Lucky for him, there’s a clear precedent for it.
Tony Romo’s 2010-2011 Bounce Back: Turning Decline Into Dominance
The 2010 Dallas Cowboys’ season was one (of many in that era) to forget.
Romo, coming off an 11-5 season and a Pro Bowl nod, quickly failed to replicate his 2009 success. He was the front man to a 1-5 start for Dallas, throwing just 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in that six-week slump.
In Week 7, the walls came tumbling down as he broke his collarbone and Jon Kitna failed to get a win in relief; the Cowboys had fallen to 1-7, and lost their franchise quarterback for the season.
One year later, amidst questions about Romo’s future in Dallas, he delivered 31 touchdowns and near-career highs, or lows, in all the important categories.
Accompanied by a bad offensive line and bottom-ten defense, the Cowboys struggled to stay afloat in the win-loss column, finishing the 2011 season at 8-8. Romo’s performance, however, was far from the problem.
Only Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees finished with higher completion percentages. In QBR, those same two, plus Tom Brady, were the only men ahead of Romo.
This is all to say that while Romo’s year ten, age-30 season was a disaster, his 2011 bounce-back campaign answered a lot of questions and reestablished who the franchise quarterback was in Dallas. Do you see where I’m going with this?
Dak Prescott’s 2024-2025 Opportunity: Clear Parallel To The Past
In eight games over the 2024 season, two more than Romo had in his 2010 campaign, Dak Prescott threw for 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading Dallas to a shoddy 3-5 record, before suffering a season-ending hamstring tear.
At age 31, it came in as one of Prescott’s worst seasons yet, and it reintroduced concerns about his standing as the Cowboys’ leader.
History sure does love repeating itself, doesn’t it?
As we head into the 2025 season, the importance of Prescott making a Romo-style comeback is paramount. He is under a newly signed, massive contract, the team is in win-now mode, and there is no backup plan should he suffer another bad year.
Dallas has retooled offensively, shedding the offensive line era of the 2010s for a young, high-potential unit, while adding Pro Bowl weapon George Pickens to the mix.
Brian Schottenheimer has taken the reins from Mike McCarthy as well, which should be a shot to the core of this roster. They loved and respected the former head coach, but the lack of playoff success meant cutting ties regardless.
Could Dak Prescott see a similar fate after this season, if things go amiss? It’s certainly not impossible, and you can bet he doesn’t want to take that chance.
