Getty Dak Prescott
Publicly, through four days on the job, Andy Dalton has said all the right things about Dak Prescott. Behind the scenes, the new Dallas Cowboys quarterback is also doing right by the incumbent starter.
Or so he says.
“I sent him a text, reaching out. That’s been about it. … I just told him I’m excited to be here, and I’m going to help in any way that I can,” Dalton revealed Wednesday during an introductory conference call with Dallas media, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
Dalton did not go into detail regarding Prescott’s reply to his message. But it was purportedly a positive response. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill reported Prescott “texted back in appreciation” to the former Bengal’s friendly overtures. SI.com’s Mike Fisher suggested the same.
Figuratively, this is the statement Dalton wanted to deliver amid his first Cowboys press conference: It’s entirely Prescott’s team, and the 32-year-old simply is there to aid the franchise-tagged passer “as much as I can.”
“I’m going to try to be the biggest asset to this team, try to help out this offense, help out Dak, help out everybody as much as I can,” Dalton said, per the Cowboys’ official website. “It’s a different perspective for me, since I’ve been a starter the last nine years, but I understand the position I’m coming into and the role I’m going to play.”
Dalton Likely Won’t Retire With the Cowboys
Dalton signed an incentive-laden one-year deal worth up to $7 million. He’s fully guaranteed $3 million, with the remainder available in playing-time escalators. Dalton has already monopolized the backup job, quickly pushing Cooper Rush off the roster, but that’s as far as he’s willing to project.
His long-term future more than likely isn’t in the silver and blue. On the club side, he’s an insurance policy for the championship-caliber Cowboys, indisputably one of the best No. 2s in the league. But, on the player side, the owner of 70 regular-season victories and over 34,000 passing yards — all across a nine-year tenure in Cincinnati — doesn’t envision his career concluding as a clipboard-holder.
Dalton admittedly “knew the situation I was coming into” with Prescott cemented atop the depth chart. But …
“I believe I’m a starter in this league, and I feel like I could bring a lot to the table,” Dalton said, per the Cowboys’ website. “I know I’m on a one-year deal, I understand the market’s going to be a little bit different next offseason. So for me, it’s just, I’m trying to set myself up and put myself in the best position for the second half of my career.”
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