Dak Prescott on potentially playing for other teams: 'That may be a reality for me'

Dak Prescott arrived in Oxnard with just one year on his contract remaining. Until a deal is struck, his future as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback is very much in doubt. With a ton of leverage and a no-trade clause, the 2024 season could be Prescott’s last with the Cowboys before hitting free agency.

Prescott maintains that he wants to be in Dallas and eventually sign an extension. But if there is a world where he is wearing a different helmet in 2025, he seems at peace with the idea. Although said with a slight hesitation, a strong message sent to the Cowboys’ front office.

“I want to be here but when you look up — all the great quarterbacks I watched played for other teams,” Prescott said. “So, my point in saying that is that that’s not something to fear. That may be a reality for me one day. It may not be my decision. So, that’s the freedom I have.”

When taking Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, there may have not been expectations for him to be the franchise guy. Tony Romo was still viewed as the starter but multiple injuries in front of Prescott opened a path to start Week 1 against the New York Giants.

Eight years, two playoff wins, and one contract extension later, the Cowboys seemingly find itself at a crossroads.

Both Jerry and Stephen Jones spoke on the difficulty of working high-level contracts on Thursday. And Dallas as three of them — Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons. Not even head coach Mike McCarthy has security past this year.

Lamb has reportedly been labeled the top priority as the wide receiver is currently holding out from training camp. He wants to become the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL, as does Parsons.

Could the lack of playoff success while potentially paying Prescott $60 million be too much for the Jones family to stomach, allowing him to hit the open market? If the answer does wind up being yes, it’s safe to assume he will not be a Cowboy moving forward — something Prescott says to not be afraid of.

“The contract is a big deal,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said in early July. “As it stands right now, Dak Prescott heading into the final year of his contract with the kind of leverage that we have rarely seen a quarterback have. the Cowboys cannot trade him, they cannot franchise him. If they don’t do a deal with him, he’s going to be a free agent.

“Will he sign with the Cowboys after they let him be a free agent? I guess anything’s possible but certainly hard to imagine there.”