The bad news is that the Dallas Cowboys will not have Dak Prescott back in 2024. If you are Prescott, the good news is that the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones offered him a brand-new, four-year contract deal for $240 million, with $231 million guaranteed, prior to the start of this season.
Prescott is the Cowboys’ quarterback of the future, injury or not. He’s been a borderline Top 15 quarterback at this point in his career, even when healthy, so Jones will probably want to replace him someday. After this season, Prescott will also have to deal with a great deal of certainty because head coach Mike McCarthy might not even be with the team anymore. Prescott will have a new head coach in 2025 since he is not expected to return. Although Prescott has many unknowns, he has the $231 million guaranteed in his back pocket, and there are reasons to think he will dominate for the Cowboys in 2025 and disprove many of his skeptics.
Above all, he will have an opportunity to be completely healthy. It is reasonable to assume that the Cowboys will put him on ice throughout the offseason and, if necessary, wrap him in bubble wrap. Although the news of a season-ending operation and a partial hamstring avulsion does not seem good, Prescott does have some hope. Jones expressed similar optimism when he told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday (via ESPN) that he is pleased with Prescott’s recuperation.
Jones stated, “He has doctors who are very familiar with how to repair that, and it’s a more common injury in hockey.” And he has a fantastic outlook. It just indicates that he won’t be with us for the remainder of the year. That’s the terrible news again. There doesn’t seem to be any immediate relief in sight for the Cowboys, who are currently 3-6 and on a four-game losing run. In his first start of the season, Cooper Rush only completed 13 of 23 passes for 45 yards. At home, the Cowboys’ defense allowed the Philadelphia Eagles 348 yards and 34 points.
No, it’s not going to get better in 2024.
2025 to be a return to form for Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
The “wonderful” prognosis Jones is talking about is the first part of the plan for 2025, though. Imagine if Prescott had just tweaked something or, heaven forbid, suffered a season-ending injury at the end of what is ultimately a lost season. That could have destroyed 2025 before it even started for the Cowboys. At least now, they know that he can focus on preparing his body and mind for a comeback next season.
He’s been banged up more than many quarterbacks in his career, and he is 31 years old. In the era of Tom Brady playing until 45, a 31-year-old quarterback is a baby in comparison. That said, if the casual NFL fan has learned anything from the Aaron Rodgers experience with the New York Jets, it’s that Father Time is truly undefeated for everyone not named Tom Brady. Prescott has been in the league since being drafted out of Mississippi State in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Again, he’s not ancient, but having dedicated time off to rest, relax, and rehab could end up being a blessing in disguise for him. He’s essentially taking nine games of NFL football off of his time clock, which is a silver lining.
There’s also hope for a dominant Prescott in 2025 because, as mentioned, there should be no way McCarthy returns next season. His offense is old and stale, and he hasn’t gotten the best out of a quarterback since he won the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, but that was in 2010-11, nearly 15 years ago.
Imagine if the Cowboys are able to get a stellar playcaller like Ben Johnson from the Detroit Lions to be their next head coach. Or, heck, what about someone who knows exactly the pressure of playing in Dallas, Dion “Coach Prime” Sanders?
The truth of the matter is that getting rid of McCarthy and his outdated thinking will be an instant upgrade for Prescott.
One would imagine that Jones will also be looking to re-fill his offensive coffers with what will certainly be high picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. CeeDee Lamb is a star but guys like Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, and Rico Dowdle are “just guys.” Expect Jones to stock up on wide receiver and even running back early in the 2025 draft, especially since he isn’t expected to have a ton of cap space to work with.
It’s reasonable to assume that Prescott will return to Pro Bowl form in 2025 with time to recover completely, a new head coach who is preferably offensive-minded, and some new tools to work with.
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