Potential Teams who Could be Interested in Acquiring QB Dak Prescott

Difference Between Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Franchise Tags, Will Cowboys use it?

It’s time to set the record straight. There are a lot of people around Cowboys Nation who believe Dak Prescott wouldn’t have a lot of interest from teams around the NFL if he were to become a free agent or made available via trade. That’s complete and utter nonsense, especially considering all of the interest Matthew Stafford recently received.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated via a live Periscope interview/questionnaire a few days ago, there were approximately eight teams interested in trading for Matthew Stafford. That’s eight teams who are trying to acquire a quarterback arguably just as talented, maybe less so, then Dak Prescott and definitely quite a bit older.

If for some reason the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott can’t find common ground in contract negotiations once again, a sign and trade kind of deal could be worked out between both parties. Prescott of course would have to agree to this because he can’t be traded unless he signs a franchise tag, but it’s doable nonetheless.

Below are the eight teams Albert Breer mentioned interested in trading for Matthew Stafford and I honestly believe each and every one of them would without a doubt try to acquire Dak Prescott as well. Let’s take a look at how realistic the chances are of each one of these teams half of pulling off this kind of trade.

Carolina Panthers

According to Albert Breer the Panthers offered the most for Matt Stafford outside what the Rams gave up. They reportedly offered the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft plus a late-round selection. If worst comes to worst with the Dallas Cowboys they more than likely offer the same deal in exchange for Dak Prescott, who is arguably better and younger than Stafford. The only problem with this trade scenario though is Carolina is in a worse salary cap shape then the Cowboys. They only have a little over $7.8 million in salary cap space according to spotrac.com, which would make it extremely difficult to sign him long-term unless they could convince him to play on the franchise tag in 2021 and then pay him his extension in 2022.

Washington Football Team

Washington’s heavy pursuit of Matthew Stafford make sense. They are arguably a QB away from being the team to beat in the NFC East division even if Dak Prescott picks up where he left off last year before his season-ending ankle injury and remains in Dallas. It’s unlikely the Cowboys would let Prescott go and land with the division rival, but if Washington was to offer a king’s ransom that could change things. They do have the draft capital and salary-cap space ($33 million) to not only put together an interesting enough trade package to entice the Cowboys, but also the money required to extend Prescott long-term. It’s highly unlikely this trade scenario would ever gain much traction, however, anything’s possible when it comes to the Cowboys and Washington.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots were a team who were really interested in acquiring Matthew Stafford, but unfortunately for them the former Lions QB was pretty adamant that’s the one place he didn’t want to go. It’s doubtful Dak Prescott would make such demands, making New England one of the front runners who could be interested in acquiring his services. They have more than enough salary-cap space ($58 million) to sign Prescott long-term and enough draft capital to package together to entice the Cowboys. If things do end up turning sour between Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots are probably a favorite to try to land his services.

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are in win now mode and the only thing holding them back from making a strong playoff push in 2021 is the quarterback position. They don’t really have the ammunition move up in the draft to select one of the top QBs, which leaves them having to sign a veteran or finding their starter via trade. The latter could put them in the sweepstakes for Dak Prescott. They are currently third in the league in salary-cap space ($68 million) so signing him long-term wouldn’t be a problem. Putting together a good enough trade package to outdo other teams on the other hand could be a problem. Regardless though, if Prescott does become available they will no doubt be in contention for his services.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers were in on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes and not only missed out, but saw him go to a division rival. That could be a blessing in disguise if they can somehow land Dak Prescott via trade. Salary-cap wise they only have a little over $11 million to work with so signing Prescott long-term could be a little difficult. They could however remedy that by shipping players and picks in a package deal to the Cowboys to acquire Prescott via trade. That could give them a little more wiggle room to work with to extend Dak long-term and give them a starting QB who fits Kyle Shanahan’s system really well.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos showing interest in acquiring Matthew Stafford is pretty interesting. Their current starting QB, Drew Lock, has shown flashes of being a capable starter in the NFL, but maybe not one to build around. That means the Broncos interest in Stafford was in that of trying to upgrade the position. Because of that, I think they could show an interest in Dak Prescott as well. They have the draft capital to offer up, but only a little over $18 million to use to extend Prescott long-term. They have the means to make this work, however, it all depends on if they believe Prescott is worth it to make him their long-term QB.

New York Jets

Depending on what new Head Coach Robert Saleh thinks about Sam Darnold, no other team around the NFL is in better position to acquire Dak Prescott then the New York Jets. Not only could they put together the best package deal in regards to draft capital, but they also have over $65 million in salary cap space to pay Prescott the kind of long-term extension he’s likely seeking. Because of their current draft capital and salary-cap space though they are also arguably the favorite to go after Deshaun Watson, which means Dak Prescott could be there fallback option if these two QBs are actually put on the trade block.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears knew the Detroit Lions were unlikely to trade Matthew Stafford within the division, and yet, that didn’t stop them from inquiring. The Bears have the talent on both offense and defense to be a Super Bowl contender, however, the QB position is holding them back in that regards. Upgrading to someone like Dak Prescott would definitely change all of that. Making this kind of trade would mean they’re in win now mode and are going all in. Other teams can probably put together a better trade package and can probably offer a better long-term deal to Prescott, however, they would still probably very much in the running for Dak.

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Brian Martin

Level C2/C3 quadriplegic. College graduate with a bachelors degree in sports and health sciences-concentration sports management. Sports enthusiast. Dallas Cowboys fanatic. Lover of life with a glass half-full point of view.

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37 Comments

Winters Wind 5 years ago

Don't have much to say about Dak. At least he's not a bum like that trash Matt Stafford. He's the white people's hero a freaking failure. Now he might be a nice guy but in my fifty years of watching football I've never seen a more overrated QB. He can't play football. All the excuses and apologist for him are disgusting. No way Goff should have been traded for that bum. The Mahomes vs. Goff shoot out was the best game I've watched in 30 years! Stafford is a case of white privilege. Yet, folks don't want Dak to get paid but would gladly welcome a flop like Stafford. Stop bellyaching and pay the man.
James A. Howerton II 5 years ago

I've been a huge Dak fan since his Miss. St. days. I was SUPER PUMPED when we got him because I was 99% sure we had gotten a 1st Round QB in the 4th Round. I figured a year or 2 behind Romo and Moore would serve him well. Of course I never even expected he'd be as good a rookie as he was. So I have ALWAYS been for resigning him. But since this Stafford trade, 2 First Rounders, a starting QB (although he wouldn't be MY starter for long but he'd do until we got a young stud) and a few other picks thrown in......imagine what we can get for Dak! Maybe we can talk Jax into a deal where they get Dak and we get Lawrence. Or, more realistically trade with #2 and amass a sh*t load of high picks, plus Wilson as a rookie QB. BUILD THE D AND THEY WILL COME!
ThrowuptheX88 5 years ago

I'm annoyed at the fact that Dak is holding the team hostage and fighting for every last drop he can possibly get out of the Cowboys , even though he's being HEAVILY compensated with endorsements cuz of the fact that he's a good (not great) Dallas Cowboys QB . Dak will get signed and we'll just suck for another 4-6 years ;( You're right Max as well as Gary b on this being Jerry's fault , in the end , WE AIN'T WINNING WITH DAK , BUT WE DAMN SURE AIN'T WINNING WITH JERRY AT THE HELM , he's a owner who's trying to play GM even though he has NO CLUE how to go about being a GM , and til that changes we aren't gonna win a Super Bowl , so i guess i better find a AFC team to go root for till things change ;(
Max 5 years ago

Idiots. Jerry has 3 options. Sign him to a lucrative deal. Do a sign and trade, which why would Dak accept, as he could just become an unrestricted free agent? And has his choice of where to go, with the Boys getting a compensation pic. Or, they place the franchise tag on him and he walks the year after that. I might want to mention, save for Aikman, we haven’t been able to draft an elite QB, forever. We lucked into Romo and Dak. I get the hate. But, can you trust the front office to deliver the goods? I don’t. You might want to remember the years that passed, between Aikman and Romo. Not good. Oh, and we had a dominate D. Sux when you can’t score 17points to get the win. Just saying. This isn’t a blatant endorsement. Yet, given everyone in the locker room, loves him and you haven’t been able to draft a QB since 89’? Hedging bets. At best. Again, I don’t think he’s an elite QB. But, he’s paid the market right. Now, I don’t think a sign in trade is going to happen,as it doesn’t benefit him. He’ll get tagged and he’ll move on. Not a great way to get compensation, for a good (not elite) QB, but the acowboys have squandered this deal, fully. This is on the front office, period.
Jason Reed 5 years ago

I love all the comments here about how the soon to be rookie qbs are all great quarterbacks . Where is the logic here ? Name the last qb to come from Ohio state that did anything ? Clemson? North Dakota State? Give me a break. The only one with potential is Lawrence and that will all be thrown away by the talentless team that picks him in the draft. If you don’t want Dak because he is pricey then be dumb. But I see one person bat an eye for the contracts of jaylon smith, Zeke, or the injury prone o-line that got contracts. All of those are failing.
RJ 5 years ago

I say get rid of Dak. He and his agent act like he's the greatest to come along and is a total team player, but that isn't the case. If he was then he wouldn't want to take so much money that the team is unable to continue to build around you. The money he was offered wasn't nothing to just dismiss. Kick his ?&&$ to the curb.
Chris D 5 years ago

This could be the next Herschel walker trade. Make the deal. Let's get our next ring
Chris D 5 years ago

Jayhood unfortunately dak won't win a ring anywhere he goes he is a good QB not a great one last year they were 8 and 8. his 8 wins were against teams under 500 his 8 losses against teams above 500. He can't beat the good teams .
Chris Drago 5 years ago

How about resign Dalton he is more than capable to lead this team then and use draft picks to fill in our other needs
GerryV 5 years ago

Trade Dak to the Jets for their current QB and Their 1st round pick.
Jayhood 5 years ago

Ppl are so stupid funny at the same time you guys want Dallas to win a ring now but want a rookie qb lol Dallas seen what happen when dak went dwn even b4 he went dwn he still scored 35+points on every team that spells a chance to win but is ok with a bck up qb that struggled lol ppl wanna blame dak should be blaming jj for not signing him 2yrs ago for like 27-29 mil want him to take a hometown discount he took a discount 4yrs if it wasn't for endorsement he'll would've been broke But who cares rite so why should dak care bout the cap its jj job to worry about that its dak job to just play ppl wanna save money to fix the defense they had 4yrs to do that wen they only was paying dak like 2mil so stop it lol they wasn't wrry about the defense when they pay zek with 2yrs left or dlaw for only 5 sacks or even jaylon smith so stop it bottom line everybody wanna say what dak should do but not want dak already done so yes I love dak and I do think they should trade dak however not for the same reason yahll do I want him traded so he can go 2 a team that wants him and he will have a chance to when a ring like alot of alot of players from Dallas did hmm
Gary b 5 years ago

Don’t know what to tell him you throwupthex88. The likelihood that Jerry signs him to a long term contract is about 90% So that’s about the only thing that matters at this point wouldn’t you say? It doesn’t really matter what people would like to see happen. It’s an exercise in futility. Why get all worked up about it and throw out all these scenarios that are unlikely to happen. It is what it is. Might wanna resign urself to that fact and think in terms of what we can we do to build the best team we can around Dak. I just don’t wanna see u drive urself crazy over something out of ur control. U seem like a knowledgeable fan, maybe channel ur expertise towards that reality.
Jasper J 5 years ago

Why is this written as if it is a trade scenario? Dak Prescott is a free agent. There would be no incentive for him to do a sign and trade so his future team loses assets. If the Cowboys do not sign him to what he asks then the only thing they get in return is potentially a future compensatory pick.
ThrowuptheX88 5 years ago

If you told me we can win a Super Bowl with Dak than yes , I'd go with Dak , but with a monster contract , holes on the team which we won't be able to fill if we pay Dak what he's wanting , and him showing me he lacks the ability to put the team on his back , WE WILL NOT WIN WITH DAK
ThrowuptheX88 5 years ago

And that's the problem Gary b that you just brought out in your comment , WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO TO FILL THESE OTHER POSITIONS IF DAK IS TAKING THAT INSANE AMOUNT OF MONEY ? The Cowboys are lacking in several positions and thus we ain't winning with Dak , cuz Dak IMO has proven that he can't win with the team on his back like D Watson can , like A-Rod , like Mahomes , and yet i'm suppose to pay him the kind of money these guys are getting ? LOOK AT THE TEXANS , DO YOU THINK THEY'LL GET BETTER , uh no , they in salary cap hell rn and that's why D Watson wants out , IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO OVERPAY A PLAYER SO THAT IT'LL FIX YOUR SALARY CAP PROBLEMS , I'M READY TO BLOW THIS MOTHER (you know what) UP RN CUZ WE AIN'T GONNA WIN WITH DAK PERIOD. So what makes Dak so much better than a rookie QB ?
ThrowuptheX88 5 years ago

Baker Mayfield made the playoffs , right ? Do you think Baker is better than Dak ? I'm gonna assume no cuz i don't think he is either , and yet he made playoffs at 11-5 , which in most divisions and especially in our division that would win you the division , they by far in a much tougher division , and yet they better than us , even though we have better QB , don't tell me we can't win without Dak , if you aren't paying a QB top QB money then you can spend that on best of the best free agents , you can keep guys like Gallup and D Wilson cuz if they keep up with their play , they both gonna want to get paid along with other guys , which we probably can't afford if we sign Dak to what he wants THE RAMS GAVE 2 1sts and a 3 as well as Goff for Stafford WHO'S DEFINITELY NOT TOP 10 , IF DAK IS TOP 10 THEN WHAT WOULD TEAM'S GIVE FOR DAK ? And don't use the contract angle either as Stafford reportedly wants one last HUGE extension as well , Dak is younger and better than Stafford , so what's his value ? IT CAN'T BE LESS THAN 2 1STS AT LEAST And who would give that , again the Colts will do that IN A HEART BEAT , the Bears and the 49ers WILL DO THAT , as well as apparently ALL these other teams cuz they were wiling to go get Stafford , Dak is younger and better , so WHY WOULDN'T THEY BE INTERESTED and once again you can't use the fact that we don't want him as a reason why they wouldn't take him , THE LIONS DIDN'T WANT STAFFORD , DID THAT DETER TEAMS FROM WANTING TO TRADE FOR HIM ? If reports are right then HELL NO , TEAMS THAT ARE IN WIN NOW MODE ARE WILLING TO GO AND TRADE WHATEVER THEY NEED IN ORDER TO GET A QB SO EXPLAIN GARY b WHY THEY WON'T BE AS INTERESTED AS THEY WERE IN STAFFORD ? And don't say Cap Space cuz the Colts have enough space
Gary b 5 years ago

I'll tell you what I seriously think. Hell will freeze over before we get far in the playoffs with Andy Dalton or any of these other retread QBs that other teams have given up on. If you have an avg QB u better have a great team around them. The cowboys are lacking at several positions and are far far away from being a great team so u better have a top ten QB that can put points on the board to give u a fighting chance.
Chuck Wright 5 years ago

You cannot seriously think Dak is even close to the playoff QBs?????
Chuck Wright 5 years ago

Let's get candid here. Some of you put too much weight in fantasy stats. This is an 8-10 QB and while at least half of the 10 are due to pourous defense, half of the 8 are due to less than stellar QB play. While I concur with the idea of using the non-exclusive franchise tag to see what Dak can command then if it's too much, let him walk for a couple 1st rounders. I'm also fine if his agent can set up the trade with another team, draft Lance or Mac Jones or Wilson, sign someone like Teddy Bridgwater to (pardon the pun) bridge the gap and rebuild the D plus add a LT. If it comes to it, you have former stars like Zeke Tron and maybe Coop along with Jayln who can be cut after 2021 freeing up a boat load of cap space.
Gary b 5 years ago

AGAIN everyone's wish list assumes a team will give up two 1st rd picks and sign Dak to a huge contract. If we won't sign him why would another team do it PLUS give us two 1st rd picks? Makes no sense. And to assume we can win with just any QB? Look at the QBs in the playoffs. See any Andy Dalton types? The only way I would trade Dak is if I could get those two 1st rd picks and the first one was top five.