Dak Prescott closed out the 2023 regular season ranked in the top five in several major categories for NFL QB. He entered the playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers with 4,516 yards (3rd), 36 touchdowns (1st), 9 interceptions and a QB rating of 72.5 (2nd).
Although some rolled there eyes when Jerry Jones and company decided to fire Kellen Moore at the end of last season — as he’s regarded as one of the up and coming young and brilliant offensive minds — head coach Mike McCarthy took over play calling and the Dallas Cowboys offense looked elite for the majority of the year.
Finally, Prescott and CeeDee Lamb found the perfect chemistry and emerged as arguably the top QB/WR tandem in the league.
Beyond Dak Prescott and the explosive offense that averaged 389 yards and 30 points per game and finished with 77 touchdowns in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys had a defense that finished the season ranked 5th in the NFL.
After another disappointing early exit in the playoffs, the Dallas brass entered the offseason with more question marks than answers.
Initially, the expectation was Jerry Jones and company would sign Prescott to a contract extension to free up cap space and keep the core of their star players in place.
Now with no deal in place and both sides going public with a “mutual understanding” they will let Prescott play out the final year of his contract, truly anything is possible.
While the Dallas QB situation is murky for the future, there was an interesting scenario presented by Bleacher Report this week, which would deal away backup quarterback Trey Lance to Green Bay.
The haul for sending away Lance, who did not throw a single pass for the Cowboys in 2023, to an NFC rival: the 126th pick in the draft, aka the Packers’ fourth-round selection.
Now, despite the suggestion from B/R, that would be an odd move for the Dallas Cowboys to make in the midst of a contract standoff with quarterback Dak Prescott. The team and Prescott have made no progress on a new deal for the Pro Bowl QB, which means he is slated to enter the 2024 season with a $59 million salary and only one year left on his contract.
That is an untenable situation, but it does appear that there is a very real possibility that the Cowboys want Prescott to show he can lead the team through the regular season and, finally, take them deep into the playoffs before committing to another long-term deal for him. And Lance is their one bit of leverage, the sliver of a backup plan to allowing Prescott to hit free agency next year.
So, trading Lance does not seem to be a viable option for the Dallas Cowboys, at least not until the Prescott situation is worked out. Lance, the No. 3 pick by the 49ers in the 2021 draft, is the Cowboys’ current Plan B at quarterback.
