The Dallas Cowboys have yet to extend star quarterback Dak Prescott, who’s entering the fourth and final year of a $160 million extension he signed in 2021.
Dak Prescott has no-tag and no-trade clauses in his deal, so he can leave Dallas and test free agency in 2025 if he so desires. But if the Cowboys aren’t willing to commit to No. 4 long-term, Jerry Jones’ best bet would be to trade Prescott now instead of losing him for nothing in free agency.
That wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario for Dallas. Just look at how the Seattle Seahawks fared after trading franchise star and QB Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in the 2022 offseason:
The Russell Wilson trade is complete:
BRONCOS GET
Russell WilsonSEAHAWKS
CB Devon Witherspoon
EDGE Derick Hall
EDGE Boye Mafe
OT Charles Cross
WR Dareke Young
TE Noah Fant
QB Drew Lock
DL Shelby Harris
DL Tyreke Smith— Cigar Thoughts 🎙🏈 (@CigarThoughts) April 29, 2023
As good as Prescott is, the amount of potential suitors for him in a possible trade would be limited. All the Super Bowl contenders have a quarterback they’re confident in, and most rebuilding teams have a young signal-caller they want to build around.
Dak Prescott last season:
🥉 4,519 passing yards (3rd)
🥇 36 passing TDs (1st)
🥇 69.5% completion percentage (T-1st)
🥉 87.0 PFF passing grade (3rd) pic.twitter.com/b4o8dmPXJT— PFF (@PFF) August 3, 2024
Realistically speaking, a “middle-of-the-pack team” would be willing to offer the most for Dak Prescott. That is, a team that’s good enough to compete for a playoff spot but also not bad enough to rebuild and stockpile top-10 picks.
That’s where the New Orleans Saints come into play.
New Orleans has tried to remain competitive in the post-Drew Brees era, but they’ve gone 9-8, 7-10 and 9-8 with zero playoff appearances since his retirement. With Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramcyzk, Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, Erik McCoy, Cameron Jordan, Marshon Lattimore and Demario Davis all under contract, the Saints aren’t about to commence a full-scale rebuild.
Carr isn’t good enough to lead the Saints to a Super Bowl. This is where the New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis should call Jerry Jones and propose a blockbuster trade offer.
What The Saints Should Offer Cowboys For Dak Prescott
In order to acquire Prescott, the Saints would need Dallas to take on the last three years of Carr’s contract. As crazy as this scenario sounds, it actually works for both teams.
New Orleans would have the best QB in the NFC South in Prescott, who’s only 31 and still in his prime. As for Dallas, a 33-year-old Carr could serve as a bridge quarterback while they find a long-term answer.
The Saints should offer Derek Carr, their 2025 first and second-round picks plus their 2026 first and third-round selections to Dallas for Prescott, on the condition that he agrees to a contract extension. If Dallas doesn’t like what they see from Carr, they can release him next offseason and save $30 million in dead money, per OvertheCap.com.
