By Marvin Moore June 6, 2023
The measuring stick for a Dallas Cowboys quarterback is a Super Bowl win. Troy Aikman has three rings, while Roger Staubach has a pair. The Tony Romo era failed to deliver a Lombardi Trophy, and more than a few fans of America’s Team do not believe Dak Prescott is the field general to lead the Cowboys back to the promised land.
A fourth-round pick in 2016, Prescott took over the reins of the Dallas’ offense after Romo was injured in the preseason. He enjoyed a spectacular rookie campaign leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 mark with 3,667 yards, 23 touchdown passes, and four interceptions en route to the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Prescott is an above-average quarterback who is 61-36 as a full-time starter. He has posted a 66.6 completion percentage while throwing for nearly 25,000 yards with 166 touchdowns and 65 interceptions. But Dallas has won just twice in six playoff appearances with the two-time Pro Bowler under center.
The Mississippi State product opened the 2020 season red-hot before breaking his ankle in Week 5 against the New York Giants. Prescott was enjoying an MVP-style season with 13 scoring passes and two picks and threw for over 450 yards in three straight games. During the offseason, he inked a four-year contract extension for $160 million with $126 million guaranteed, including a whopping $66 million signing bonus.
Prescott enjoyed the best season of his career in 2021 with 4,449 yards, a 68.8% completion rate, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. However, the Cowboys’ playoff woes continued with a Wildcard setback to the San Francisco 49ers.
Dallas dropped its 2022 season-opening game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lost Prescott for five games after the seven-year veteran injured his thumb. He returned in Week 7 and threw two or more touchdowns in eight of the Cowboys’ 11 remaining regular season contests. However, he tossed a pair of costly picks in a 19-12 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.
The inconsistent signal-caller threw 11 interceptions in his final seven games last season and finished with an NFL-high 15 picks despite missing five games. Prescott has also been intercepted 29 times in his last 33 regular season games over the past three seasons.
Despite his roller-coaster performance since 2020, another lucrative extension is looming for the 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The 29-year-old is projected to receive a four-year deal worth $210 million with a $75 million signing bonus and $140 fully guaranteed.
The Cowboys have advanced to the playoffs on four different occasions with Prescott but are still seeking their first conference championship game appearance in nearly 30 years. The beleaguered quarterback has already lost the support of a sizeable number of America’s Team fanatics, and another turnover-prone season in 2023 could put owner and general manager Jerry Jones in an uncomfortable position.
Jones still believes Prescott can overcome his postseason demons. But once the Louisiana native inks his new contract, he is guaranteed to be under center at AT&T Stadium for the next 3-5 years. Whether Cowboys fans Like it or not, Dallas title hopes will continue to be tied to the success or failures of Prescott.
