OXNARD, Calif. — Dak Prescott is entering his ninth year as the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
He's been the starter since Week 1 of 2016. And, until this week, it never sounded or seemed like he'd ever considered the idea of being anything other than the Cowboys' signal caller.
On Thursday, however, he spoke with a tone of acceptance that 2024 might just be his last year in Dallas.
"I want to be here, but when you look up all the great quarterbacks I watched, [they] played for other teams," Prescott said. "So my point in saying that is that's not something to fear. That may be a reality for me one day. It may not be my decision."
Still, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones insisted on Thursday that this wouldn't be Prescott's last year as a Cowboy.
"I do not think that this will be his last year with the Cowboys," Jones said. "At all."
Of course, money could derail that expectation.
"I've had a lot of things I've wanted, that I couldn't get because I couldn't afford it," Jones also said.
Prescott, entering the final year of his contract, said he's done personally participating in the negotiations, preferring to focus on the on-field action for the time being.
"Once this thing kicks off, I'm going to do what I can to control my game, my effort, to help this team win," Prescott said. "And the people who I pay to make those decisions and deals will negotiate."
Meanwhile, after an offseason of vitriol from frustrated Cowboys fans, Prescott had an interestingly frank response when asked what he'd say to those fans.
"Be fans or don't be fans," he said. "If you're a fan, you're gonna turn the page, just as we do. You're gonna move forward knowing that you've got better ahead of you. Sorry, obviously. But it hurt us more than it did them. And obviously it's on us to get back and to do better. But, yeah, move on."
Prescott has moved on himself -- to fatherhood. His little girl MJ is just shy of five months old.
"I think of me carrying on my mom's legacy," he said of being a father. "And seeing MJ each and every day, knowing she's going to have a chance to do the same. And, really, it's about me creating a beautiful life for her, more than really her carrying on a legacy. So I'm just excited for the responsibilities, the obligations and everything else that comes with it."
This is a new Dak Prescott -- one who has found some peace. But it's also probably a Dak who knows he's holding all the cards.
"In time comes... who knows what comes," he said. "I've been through a lot of adversity, personally. It's about being thankful for where you are, hugging and loving on your loved ones, and taking it one day at a time."
Day 2 Camp Observations
It wasn't Prescott's best day on the field at training camp, as he threw a pair of interceptions during the team portion of practice. In fairness to Dak, both were terrific plays by Cowboys cornerbacks.
DaRon Bland in particular made a terrific break on the football to pick Prescott off on a throw to the right side.
Then Jourdan Lewis made his own terrific play on the football, leaping and fully extending to pick off Prescott at the very start of the Cowboys two-minute drill work.
But Prescott would bounce back, taking over on the next two-minute drill possession, and leading the offense down the field while completing 7 of his 8 passes and setting the Cowboys up for what would have been a game-tying field goal.
Meanwhile, Trey Lance showed some good things and some not so great things as he truly begins his competition with Cooper Rush for the backup quarterback job. Lance got the reps with the twos during the Cowboys two-minute drill work, and led a solid drive, completing a few passes and also showing his burst to get to the sideline and pick up yards with his feet. But he also had a throw during individual work when he was aiming at the targets on the net... and he missed the net altogether.
