Getty Dak Prescott
If (a big “if”) the Dallas Cowboys divorce from Dak Prescott, the former Pro Bowl quarterback will have no shortage of potential courters.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, renowned NFL insider Adam Schefter disclosed a number of teams — some within Dallas’ own division — that could make a play for Prescott, an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
“How much would Washington pay to cripple its division rival and take its quarterback, and trot out Dak Prescott? Schefter asked rhetorically. “How about Chicago? How about Indianapolis? How about Tampa Bay, as a successor to Tom Brady? How about New Orleans, as a successor to Drew Brees? How about San Francisco? How about any one of these teams?”
“The fact that there are so many options tells you that Dak Prescott has got an enormous amount of leverage. Because he can do that. He can say, ‘OK, I’m not gonna re-sign here after a year, so you might as well move on from me.’ There are a lot of different ways that he can play this out, that the Cowboys can play this out.”
Prescott does wield a considerable amount of leverage, even after his season-ending ankle injury and subsequent rehabilitation. To facilitate his departure, however, the Cowboys would need to place the franchise tag on the 27-year-old, at a cost of $37.7 million, and strike a sign-and-trade.
But these uncertain times, Schefter cautioned, may complicate matters.
“During a pandemic, if the cap is going down, can they afford to franchise Dak Prescott? This, right now, shapes up to me as the most fascinating storyline of the NFL offseason,” he said. “Every year there’s something that jumps out; last year was Tom Brady. Right now, it looks like Dak Prescott even though he hasn’t played in a while due to that injury.”
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Update on Dak Recovery
Prescott underwent surgery on Oct. 11 to repair a compound fracture and dislocation in his right ankle, an operation that came with a rehab timeline of 4-6 months. In a best-case scenario, he’s fully healed by the start of the league’s legal tampering period. In a worst-case, he’s cleared in early April as the offseason workout program commences.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy offered news on Prescott’s recovery during his Wednesday Zoom call with reporters, continuing to insist “Dak’s doing very well” supposedly ahead of schedule.
“Frankly just saw him a little while ago in the training room and all of the guys on IR are down there. So it seems like they tend to be there the same time most days. They’re all in good spirits. They’re all making progress,” McCarthy said, via ESPN. “Dak’s just like you’d think he would be – very positive, very upbeat and just attacking his rehab.”
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