NFL
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Could Be Leaving Dallas, but He Still Helped the City in its Hour of Need
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished22 Feb 2021
During his time with the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott has become more than just the starting quarterback; he’s one of the faces of the franchise. Despite that reality, though, Jerry Jones hasn’t inked the signal-caller to a long-term contract. There’s a legitimate possibility that, at some point in the future, Dak Prescott could leave Dallas behind.
Although the quarterback could be moving on, at least from a football perspective, he hasn’t abandoned Dallas just yet. In fact, Dak Prescott recently stepped up to help the city during its hour of need.
Dak Prescott has become a star with the Dallas Cowboys
RELATED: The Dallas Cowboys Are in Scramble Mode Following Their Latest Dak Prescott Gaffe
In the NFL, everything starts and ends with a quarterback. While things don’t always run smoothly in Jerry World, the Dallas Cowboys do have a legitimate talent under center with Dak Prescott.
Dak played his college football at Mississippi State and, despite barely taking the field as a freshman, put together quite a career. He spent four seasons with the Bulldogs, throwing for 9,376 yards and 70 touchdowns while rushing for 2,521 yards and another 41 scores.
Despite those numbers, though, Prescott slipped into the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He joined the Dallas Cowboys as the 135th-overall pick but, thanks to injuries to both Tony Romo and Kellen Moore, quickly found himself in the starting job.
Prescott, of course, played well that campaign, and the rest is history. While there have been some bumps in the road along the way—the Cowboys haven’t had much playoff success, and the 2020 offseason was headlined by a contract issue—Dak has proven himself to be a talented quarterback capable of shining under Dallas’ media microscope. Through five seasons in the pros, he’s started 69 games, throwing for 17,634 yards and 106 touchdowns.
Dak Prescott’s contract issues could end his time in Dallas, though
RELATED: Troy Aikman Fires Stern Warning to the Dallas Cowboys Concerning Dak Prescott
Even if the Cowboys haven’t made it over the hump in recent years, Dak Prescott has still covered himself in glory. Despite that reality, though, the quarterback’s days in Texas could be numbered.
During the 2020 NFL offseason, Prescott’s contract expired. He and Jerry Jones, however, were unable to hammer out a long-term extension; the quarterback signed a one-year franchise tender and suffered a season-ending ankle injury after five games.
This year, the same issues remain. While both parties seemingly want to work out a deal, neither is willing to compromise. At this point, it seems like another franchise tag could be a legitimate possibility.
While that would keep Prescott under contract for another year, it’s not a perfect solution. For the most part, players don’t like being franchise-tagged; that’s led to the likes of Troy Aikman and Drew Pearson warning that Jerry Jones could be burning his bridges with the franchise player. At a certain point, it’s possible that Prescott will simply have had enough and decide to leave Dallas.
There have also been rumors that Jones could be trying to line up a sign-and-trade deal for a new quarterback, but we’ll have to wait and see what does and does not materialize.
The quarterback is still helping his adopted home city
RELATED: Dak Prescott Can Remember When Sleeping in Hotel Rooms Felt Like a Vacation
At this point, it’s not clear how long Dak Prescott will be plying his trade in Dallas. Even if he leaves some point down the line, though, the quarterback is still doing his part to help the city through a tough start to 2021.
In February, Texas was hit by a winter storm that threw the state into chaos; freezing temperatures left many stranded in their homes without power and drinkable water.
In light of that situation, OurCalling, a faith-based organization helping those experiencing homelessness, opened an emergency shelter in the Dallas Convention Center. While getting things set up on short notice was no easy feat, they got some financial assistance from two big-time stars.
“Opening an emergency weather shelter for nearly 1,000 homeless individuals in Dallas at the Convention Center has been our most difficult task,” OurCalling tweeted on February 18. “But we are thankful and encouraged that @McConaughey and @dak are sending support to purchase meals for the individuals and families.”
At this point, it’s not clear what Dak Prescott’s future holds; if things collapse at the negotiating table, it’s possible that his days in Dallas could be numbered. That reality, however, didn’t stop the quarterback from stepping up when his adopted home city needed a hand.
Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference and Pro-Football-Reference
