It’s time to set the record straight. There are a lot of people around Cowboys Nation who believe Dak Prescott wouldn’t have a lot of interest from teams around the NFL if he were to become a free agent or made available via trade. That’s complete and utter nonsense, especially considering all of the interest Matthew Stafford recently received.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated via a live Periscope interview/questionnaire a few days ago, there were approximately eight teams interested in trading for Matthew Stafford. That’s eight teams who are trying to acquire a quarterback arguably just as talented, maybe less so, then Dak Prescott and definitely quite a bit older.
If for some reason the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott can’t find common ground in contract negotiations once again, a sign and trade kind of deal could be worked out between both parties. Prescott of course would have to agree to this because he can’t be traded unless he signs a franchise tag, but it’s doable nonetheless.
Below are the eight teams Albert Breer mentioned interested in trading for Matthew Stafford and I honestly believe each and every one of them would without a doubt try to acquire Dak Prescott as well. Let’s take a look at how realistic the chances are of each one of these teams half of pulling off this kind of trade.
Carolina Panthers
According to Albert Breer the Panthers offered the most for Matt Stafford outside what the Rams gave up. They reportedly offered the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft plus a late-round selection. If worst comes to worst with the Dallas Cowboys they more than likely offer the same deal in exchange for Dak Prescott, who is arguably better and younger than Stafford. The only problem with this trade scenario though is Carolina is in a worse salary cap shape then the Cowboys. They only have a little over $7.8 million in salary cap space according to spotrac.com, which would make it extremely difficult to sign him long-term unless they could convince him to play on the franchise tag in 2021 and then pay him his extension in 2022.
Washington Football Team
Washington’s heavy pursuit of Matthew Stafford make sense. They are arguably a QB away from being the team to beat in the NFC East division even if Dak Prescott picks up where he left off last year before his season-ending ankle injury and remains in Dallas. It’s unlikely the Cowboys would let Prescott go and land with the division rival, but if Washington was to offer a king’s ransom that could change things. They do have the draft capital and salary-cap space ($33 million) to not only put together an interesting enough trade package to entice the Cowboys, but also the money required to extend Prescott long-term. It’s highly unlikely this trade scenario would ever gain much traction, however, anything’s possible when it comes to the Cowboys and Washington.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots were a team who were really interested in acquiring Matthew Stafford, but unfortunately for them the former Lions QB was pretty adamant that’s the one place he didn’t want to go. It’s doubtful Dak Prescott would make such demands, making New England one of the front runners who could be interested in acquiring his services. They have more than enough salary-cap space ($58 million) to sign Prescott long-term and enough draft capital to package together to entice the Cowboys. If things do end up turning sour between Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots are probably a favorite to try to land his services.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are in win now mode and the only thing holding them back from making a strong playoff push in 2021 is the quarterback position. They don’t really have the ammunition move up in the draft to select one of the top QBs, which leaves them having to sign a veteran or finding their starter via trade. The latter could put them in the sweepstakes for Dak Prescott. They are currently third in the league in salary-cap space ($68 million) so signing him long-term wouldn’t be a problem. Putting together a good enough trade package to outdo other teams on the other hand could be a problem. Regardless though, if Prescott does become available they will no doubt be in contention for his services.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were in on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes and not only missed out, but saw him go to a division rival. That could be a blessing in disguise if they can somehow land Dak Prescott via trade. Salary-cap wise they only have a little over $11 million to work with so signing Prescott long-term could be a little difficult. They could however remedy that by shipping players and picks in a package deal to the Cowboys to acquire Prescott via trade. That could give them a little more wiggle room to work with to extend Dak long-term and give them a starting QB who fits Kyle Shanahan’s system really well.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos showing interest in acquiring Matthew Stafford is pretty interesting. Their current starting QB, Drew Lock, has shown flashes of being a capable starter in the NFL, but maybe not one to build around. That means the Broncos interest in Stafford was in that of trying to upgrade the position. Because of that, I think they could show an interest in Dak Prescott as well. They have the draft capital to offer up, but only a little over $18 million to use to extend Prescott long-term. They have the means to make this work, however, it all depends on if they believe Prescott is worth it to make him their long-term QB.
New York Jets
Depending on what new Head Coach Robert Saleh thinks about Sam Darnold, no other team around the NFL is in better position to acquire Dak Prescott then the New York Jets. Not only could they put together the best package deal in regards to draft capital, but they also have over $65 million in salary cap space to pay Prescott the kind of long-term extension he’s likely seeking. Because of their current draft capital and salary-cap space though they are also arguably the favorite to go after Deshaun Watson, which means Dak Prescott could be there fallback option if these two QBs are actually put on the trade block.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears knew the Detroit Lions were unlikely to trade Matthew Stafford within the division, and yet, that didn’t stop them from inquiring. The Bears have the talent on both offense and defense to be a Super Bowl contender, however, the QB position is holding them back in that regards. Upgrading to someone like Dak Prescott would definitely change all of that. Making this kind of trade would mean they’re in win now mode and are going all in. Other teams can probably put together a better trade package and can probably offer a better long-term deal to Prescott, however, they would still probably very much in the running for Dak.
