Getty Dak Prescott finally inked a new long-term deal with the Cowboys this offseason.
There is no shortage of quarterbacks being connected to the San Francisco 49ers, but ESPN’s Marcus Spears has a new name in mind for the franchise. During a recent episode of NFL Live, Spears noted that Dak Prescott “should want out of Dallas.” The former NFL defensive lineman believes the 49ers would be a perfect landing spot as Prescott would thrive in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“Oh, [there’s] a team on the West Coast with a coach named Kyle Shanahan and a GM named John Lynch that would love to have Dak Prescott running that offense,” Spears noted. “San Francisco 49ers, yeah.”
NFL insider Adam Schefter was also on the show and offered his thoughts on the potential for Prescott to wear a 49ers uniform.
“I’ll say this, that’s the very first time I’ve heard Dak Prescott connected to the 49ers, but I like it,” Schefter chimed in on Spears’ assertion.
Here is a look at the clip of Spears’ bold take.
“Dak Prescott should want out of Dallas.”
@mspears96 could see the 49ers as a potential landing spot for the QB 👀
Could the 49ers Make a Move for Prescott?
There is little doubt the Niners would “love” to have Prescott, but the bigger question is whether he is a realistic option. Prescott will technically be a free agent this offseason but don’t expect the Cowboys to let their franchise quarterback walk away. CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora reported the Cowboys are once again prepared to franchise tag Prescott if the two parties cannot come to a long-term agreement.
Here is where things get interesting, the Cowboys would have the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft if the season ended today. This puts them out of the range of Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State’s Justin Fields.
This means the Cowboys would likely be picking from the next group of players like North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and BYU’s Zach Wilson if the team opted to pursue a quarterback. The Cowboys are two games back from the Jaguars for the No. 2 pick, which is a lot of ground to make up with one month left in the season.
One Scenario for the Cowboys to Consider is Drafting a Quarterback
Why would the Cowboys explore drafting a quarterback when Prescott is already on the roster? There are two factors that could lead the Cowboys to move in this direction, with the biggest one being a rookie quarterback comes with a less expensive price tag allowing Dallas to build more depth on the roster. Prescott is also coming off a significant ankle injury which could cause the Cowboys to reconsider giving the quarterback a lucrative long-term deal.
There have been plenty of recent examples of teams winning Super Bowls with quarterbacks on a rookie contract. The Chiefs and Seahawks are two teams who were able to take advantage of having a drastically under-paid quarterback allowing the team to load up at other positions. For all the potential reasons, the Cowboys are still unlikely to move on from Prescott.
We would call Prescott going to the 49ers improbable, but not impossible given all the Cowboys have to consider. During an exclusive interview with Heavy, legendary Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach expressed concern over the team signing Prescott to a deal that would prohibit them from building out their roster.
“I don’t know if it’s the years or the money,” Staubach explained. “If it’s the money, there’s only so much money I think they can distribute to the team. Again, I just hope that they get Dak signed because I personally really like Dak. I think he is a really great player, but I also want to make sure he is surrounded with really good players, too.”
Shanahan ‘Expects’ Jimmy Garoppolo to be the Niners Starting QB in 2021
The 49ers have publicly voiced confidence in Jimmy Garoppolo, but we can expect the franchise to at least explore other options this offseason. San Francisco has already given Garoppolo the majority of his guaranteed money allowing the team to have the flexibility to move on from the quarterback if they have a change of heart.
The Niners admitted to considering signing Tom Brady during last free agency but ultimately opted to stick with Garoppolo. This was after a much more productive season for Garoppolo, but acquiring a quarterback like Prescott is unprecedented and would require giving up a lot of assets.
“I expect Jimmy to be our starter next year,” Shanahan explained in a November press conference, per 49ersWebZone.com. “I expect him to come and play with us this year. We have six games left. We are not out of the playoffs yet. I’ve been on a team that was three and six going into a bye week and ended up winning their division. I think we have guys on this team capable of finishing this the right way. We’ve got to do one game at a time and I hope Jimmy can come back and be a part of that, but to think that we’ve made any decisions on somebody going into the future, this isn’t the case. Jimmy has won a lot of games for us this year. It’s a lot harder to win games when he’s not here and I’m just hoping we can get him back.”
The 49ers may love to have Prescott, but the question is whether the Cowboys are willing to move on from their franchise quarterback. We can expect the Niners to continue to be linked to quarterbacks at an increasing rate as the offseason draws closer.
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