Getty Dak Prescott opened up about his painful ankle injury.
The scuttlebutt following Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle surgery was the Dallas Cowboys quarterback would be sidelined 4-6 months. Dr. Jerry Jones confirmed that diagnosis in a radio interview Tuesday.
“Physically, I’m told by the doctors by our own experience of seeing this injury, physically there should be no problem with him being back out there in early May or April,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.
“If you look ahead, he should be ready to go for our spring work – the latter part of the spring work. But knowing Dak – and that’s a big part of this thing – knowing Dak and his makeup, he’ll be back out there soon.”
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Injured in Sunday’s win over the Giants, Prescott underwent successful surgery Sunday night to repair a compound fracture and dislocation in his right ankle. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy revealed Monday that Prescott was discharged from the hospital and has begun his lengthy rehab process.
“He’s in very good spirits,” McCarthy said, via The Athletic. “He’s excited to get home and start the journey back, as you would expect from Dak. He’s doing OK.”
Far from a “medical expert,” McCarthy similarly floated the aforementioned four-to-six months as Prescott’s projected recovery window. Like Jones, however, he expects the two-time Pro Bowler to defy expectations.
“As I’ve found out in my short time here, he’s going to challenge any timeline,” he said, per WFAA.
The latter part of the timetable, in a safer-than-sorry approach, would mean Prescott likely sits out Organized Team Activities in April but is healthy for Dallas’ scheduled minicamp practices in May.
But it also means the 27-year-old won’t be fully healed when unrestricted free agency kicks off in March, which could limit his earning potential. Betting on himself, Prescott opted to play the 2020 campaign on his $31.4 million franchise tender with the hope of landing a market-value extension.
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Dak’s Value (Supposedly) Unchanged
The Cowboys have the option to tag Prescott again in 2021 at a cost of $37.7 million, make a new contract proposal, or simply let him shop his wares on an open market recovering from the financial impact of COVID-19.
Team vice president Stephen Jones claimed Monday that Dallas “absolutely” won’t view Prescott any different than a franchise QB, the “future” of the organization. And Jerry suggested he’s prepared to put his money where Stephen’s mouth is.
“Dak is deserving of anything you want to put on a piece of paper, relatively speaking,” Jones said Tuesday. “He’s deserving of that, and he’s, if you evaluate what he can do to help us win championships, you can see that it’s there. Plus, he’s a leader at the premier leader spot. We’ve got to make it work.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL