Dallas City News

In an interview on Thursday from Dallas’ training camp, quarterback Dak Prescott discussed his expiring contract and the chance that he could join a new team in 2025. If Prescott does continue his NFL career somewhere else, it will be a rare sight for a franchise QB of the Cowboys.

Prescott brought up the history of NFL greats like Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and others who didn’t finish their careers with the teams they enjoyed the most success with. He didn’t mention this to compare himself to those legends’ achievements, but simply that if they could write new chapters with other clubs then he was at peace with potentially doing the same.

Interestingly though, that list doesn’t include any legendary Cowboys quarterbacks. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, our only Super Bowl winners, both retired with Dallas. Even beyond them, other greats like Danny White, Don Meredith, Tony Romo, and Eddie LeBaron all finished their careers here. With the exception of LeBaron, who came to Dallas after eight seasons in Washington, none of these quarterbacks ever even played a snap for another team.

The only noteworthy passer to keep playing after their Cowboys career ended was Craig Morton. After losing his job to Staubach in 1971, Morton eventually found his way to the Giants and then had a good run with the Broncos to close out his career. But had it not been for Staubach, Morton was doing enough in Dallas that he might have kept the job far longer.

So no, Dak Prescott can’t be the first major Cowboys QB to play for a new team. But if he does exit next spring in free agency, he’ll be the first to do it over money and contract issues.

While Morton was pushed out by Staubach for football reasons, Prescott is hardly threatened on the field by Trey Lance. Dallas opting to go with Lance in 2025, or acquiring some new QB through free agency or the draft, will be because they didn’t want to pay Prescott what the current market dictates. They’ll be choosing the risky venture of trying to find their next franchise QB while the last one wears a new helmet for the first time since 2016.

Remember, Prescott’s current deal includes a clause that prevents Dallas from using the franchise tag on him. The only way he’ll be QB1 for the Cowboys next season is if they can come to terms on a new multiyear contract.

Of course, watching franchise legends at other positions move to new teams isn’t unheard of. We’ve seen DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, and even Emmitt Smith in other teams’ uniforms during their career twilights. We’re experiencing that this year with Tyron Smith’s departure to the Jets. But quarterbacks are another matter, especially now, stirring the emotions of even casual fans like no other.

Especially relevant since the rise of modern NFL free agency in 1993, Dallas fans have been spared having to watch beloved leaders like Troy Aikman and Tony Romo play for other teams. But unless something gets worked out with Dak Prescott over the next seven months or so, the vast majority of Cowboys Nation is in for a new experience.