Dak is back, but for how long? Do the Cowboys have his replacement on the roster already?
One of the most intriguing questions to be considered during training camp and into the fall will be: Is Trey Lance the future at QB?
It seems preposterous to consider that Lance could potentially be the starting quarterback in 2025, but with the way the Cowboys have navigated the waters of a Dak Prescott contract extension, it almost feels as if they are daring their franchise QB to test the open free agent market at the end of this season.
If you had asked me the Trey Lance question in February, I would’ve laughed out loud and thought “what a moronic question!” But, with each passing month, it’s gone from “no way in hell that’s happening, they will obviously extend Dak” to “why in the hell haven’t they extended Dak yet?!”
And now here we are, heading into training camp in just three short weeks.
The financial parameters for Prescott’s next contract are now in place, with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence each averaging $55 million a year. You might think that is a ridiculous number for Prescott, but Lawrence is 20-30 as a starting quarterback with only a single playoff victory. Prescott, however, has played eight seasons in the NFL and is 73-41 as a starter with two playoff wins.
In the seven seasons in which Prescott played 12 or more games (not counting the five games he started in 2020 before being injured), he has never had a season with a losing record. The price of a starting QB in the NFL is simply sky-high these days. Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers is 30-32 and has never won a playoff game, yet he now makes $52.5 million a year. It’s just the way it is.
Like Prescott, neither Lawrence nor Herbert has had postseason success, but they’re younger. Prescott will be 31 years old when the season starts in September. If he and the ‘Boys fail to advance to the NFC Championship game this season, could team owner Jerry Jones decide his star player is not worth $55 million or more each year and opt to move on?