'We're close' Dak Prescott missed a golden opportunity to send a message to the Dallas Cowboys they badly need to hear
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott held his first media availability for the first time since Brian Schottenheimer was hired at the 2025 Children's Cancer Fund gala on Tuesday.Prescott discussed his view on Schottenheimer and other topics but his quote on the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win is by far what gathered the most attention as […]
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott held his first media availability for the first time since Brian Schottenheimer was hired at the 2025 Children's Cancer Fund gala on Tuesday.
Prescott discussed his view on Schottenheimer and other topics but his quote on the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win is by far what gathered the most attention as he suggested Dallas is close and used the team's record versus the division rival and new NFL champion as an argument.
"I feel like we compete with the Eagles and beat them for the most part when we play them," Prescott told reporters when asked if he thought they were close to similar success. "I don’t want to say, 'Check the record,' when the other guys are holding the trophy right now, so credit to them—they earned it and deserved it by all means."
Though Prescott admitted the Eagles are on the upper echelon as they currently hold the Lombardi Trophy, his message was more in a competitive spirit, claiming the Cowboys are close to breaking through and matching them.
"We’re very close, especially when you watch the NFC Championship game and see those two teams—teams that we battle against each and every year, a couple of times," Prescott added. "And like I said, I feel confident that we've gotten the better part each and every time. To see them do it in such a dominating fashion, credit to them. But now, it’s our turn. It’s on us."
Juicy quote but did Dak miss an opportunity to call out the front office?
David Helman from FOX Sports brought up a great point on Twitter/X following the interview, saying "It’d have been a lot cooler if he used his position to put public pressure on the Cowboys’ front office to chase a championship as hard as Philly’s does."
I've got to say, I agree with Helman there. The question was the perfect set-up to send a statement. Prescott is no longer the young quarterback on the team. In fact, his current deal could very well be his final one in Dallas. You never know with 36-year-old quarterbacks, which he will be when his deal voids in 2029. He's the $240 million quarterback of the Cowboys. He can – and arguably should – have a say on how to build the team.
But Prescott has always been the guy who focuses on controlling what he can control, probably a big reason why he liked Scott Linehan, Kellen Moore, and Mike McCarthy when they were in Dallas. Complaints on his part have been rare.
Only a few times have we seen Prescott suggest the front office could handle things better, one of which was last year when he cryptically told the media he wanted to see McCarthy back "on his terms."
This is not to say Cowboys fans should put the long list of problems of the franchise on the shoulders of Dak. But I often wonder if he should be more vocal in the way Micah Parsons has been ahead of his contract negotiations. The superstar defender has said more than once he wants a deal early so that the Cowboys can spend in free agency (an extension would lower his cap hit for 2025). He said during Super Bowl week: “I don't think we can afford to keep having things wait out.”
The bottom line is despite regular season scores versus the Eagles, the Cowboys front office is night and day compared to how Philly and GM Howie Roseman do business. It's high time Dallas emulates their success without the everlasting fear of the salary cap "bill coming due," a phrase Stephen Jones has used in the past. Who cares if it does when you're lifting a Lombardi Trophy?
Prescott is currently locked in for the next four years. I wonder if we'll witness him turn up the heat for the decision makers before his deal is up. The owners are constantly talking about how his deal keeps them from spending (even though that's untrue). Why should he not fight back for the sake of the team?
