Examining the one scenario where Dak Prescott is not the future quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott is going to get extended. He just is. The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t possibly be entertaining a world without him as their quarterback, right? I mean there’s no way they would find a diamond in the rough only to then turn around and throw it in the ocean like a regretful old lady who never got over the fact that there was more than enough room for Leo on that door.

Sorry about that. Got off topic there for a second. The point is that it would be a titanic mistake for the Cowboys to not re-sign Prescott.

But because we like to leave no stone unturned, we’re actually going to examine the possibility of Prescott’s days in Dallas being over. According to odds (that I just made up right now), there is a 95% chance Dak gets a long-term deal signed. And despite most of us strongly believing that Prescott is not going anywhere, we must do our due diligence and explore all options. So keep an open mind and put on your exploring hat, because that’s where we’re headed today.

The way we see it, the outcome of the Dak saga likely falls into one of these five scenarios:

1. Re-sign him before the franchise tag deadline
2. Tag him again and finalize a long-term deal before the July deadline
3. Tag him and trade him
4. Tag him again and let him walk after the 2021 season
5. Don’t tag him, don’t sign him. and let him walk in free agency

Now, while #1 is what most of us would like to see happen and #5 being a complete nightmare, there is a good chance it’s going to end up being something in the middle. In particular, option #2 is the most likely outcome. The front office will once again exercise the franchise tag and keep him from hitting the open market. And again, they’ll have until July to work out a long-term deal. It’s the same song we heard this time a year ago.

Of course, by now, most of us are aware that Prescott is only the third quarterback in NFL history who has played on the franchise tag. The other two, Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins (tagged twice), went on to sign with other teams in free agency. This puts Dak in rare company, as well as opportunity to be a one-man wolf pack should he remain with the Cowboys.

Let’s say for the sake of this exercise that the Cowboys front office is somewhere between options #2 and #4. They may start with the intention of getting an extension done, but if they feel Team Dak is just asking for more of the pie they’re willing to allocate, they will have no choice to make other plans.

As negotiations stall into the end of April, something fortuitous happens, at least in the minds of the front office. And that something is North Dakota State’s Trey Lance still being available when the Cowboys are on the clock in the first round of the NFL Draft. The quarterback sweepstakes took players like Trevor Lawrence, Zack Wilson, and Justin Fields off early to QB-needy teams, but somehow Lance slid. In this hypothetical, Lance is ranked really high on the Cowboys board.

Lance has the potential to be a superstar player, but with only one full college season under his belt, the uncertainty will cause other proven quarterbacks to go before him. However, what he showed in that one season was remarkable. Lance is a mature player who makes excellent decisions with the football, which led to his remarkable 28 touchdowns, 0 interceptions during his last college season. He has great poise and perfect ball placement, allowing his receivers to make plays after the catch. And his mobility makes him a playmaker in his own right as he rushed for 1,100 yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns during his final college season.

If the Cowboys used the 10th overall pick to select Lance, that would mark the end of days for Prescott. It would be such a huge risk to suddenly go a different direction as they could be getting a quarterback who will be every bit as good (or possibly better) than Prescott, but they also could end up getting a lemon. What we do know is that they would be getting:

• HUGE CAP RELIEF - A cheap quarterback for the next five seasons. Just think of what the team could do building around him with all that cap space.
• DRAFT CAPITAL - The Cowboys could then turn around and trade Prescott to a team that is willing to spend big money for a quarterback in exchange for some premium draft picks (as long as Dak agrees to that trade).

Such a move would turn Cowboys Nation in a frenzy, and again - we’re not trying to sell anyone on the idea that this is the right play. Instead, we just want to ponder the possibilities. What if the stingy cheap frugal Joneses see an opportunity fall in their lap and redirect their title-winning strategy?

It may not be the Cowboys intent to move away from Prescott, but if both sides are just too far apart and a chance to grab a young talent suddenly presents itself, is this a scenario you could see happening?