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Cowboys players celebrate Dak Prescott's birthday with hilarious shirts

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton•07/29/23•

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dak prescott cowboys 49ers
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

How’s this for a birthday party. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott turned 30, Saturday. His fellow teammates wore shirts decorated with his photo. And fans serenaded him during practice.

Plus, Prescott got to throw beautiful passes to new receiver Brandin Cooks, whom the Cowboys signed this off-season. Now that’s the way a veteran QB does a party.

“I guess I’m the oldest guy, the oldest skill guy,” Dak Prescott said during an interview with NFL Network.

He was putting 30 into perspective. Most people do when they reach that benchmark as looming middle age thumps them in the forehead. It’s no different from quarterbacks turning 30. They also think about missed chances at Super Bowls and whether they still have enough oomph in the arms and legs. Plus, the NFL truly is a league of dazzling young quarterbacks. Think Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa or Trevor Lawrence. All those guys are under 30 and they dominate headlines. And who knows what may happen with Bryce Young, CJ Stroud or Anthony Richardson. Those guys went 1-2-4 in April’s draft and all three should open week one as starters.

But, the NFL also is a spot for the older QB, so long as he keeps winning. At least 17 quarterbacks 30 or older made starts last season.

So if you’re Dak Prescott, what does it mean to be 30? Well, it’s a gift.

“It comes with experience and wisdom (and) I hope to pass it along,” he said.

Clarence Hill, who covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, snapped a photo of receiver CeeDee Lamb wearing the Prescott t-shirt. The crisp white tees also featured Prescott wearing a crown. All the offensive skill players received one.

“That was a surprise,” Prescott said. “It was pretty cool. I liked it.”

In Cowboy lore, Dak Prescott is at that just-right age. Troy Aikman was 29 when he won his last of his three Super Bowls. And Roger Staubach was 29 when he won his first.

The Cowboys are practicing in Oxnard, Calif. And the team has a huge base of fans in that particular slice of Southern California. Before Oxnard, the Cowboys also spent preseason in nearby Thousand Oaks. So it was a packed house, Saturday, as fans gathered to watch the open practice.

And yes, fans acknowledged Dak Prescott’s birthday. You don’t get that many chances in life to flip to another decade.

The Cowboys have a day off tomorrow. So Prescott maybe can stay out a bit later. His plans include going out to a nice dinner. But it’s not clear who is picking up the tab.