All eyes will be on the quarterback position this NFL offseason as nearly a third of the league’s teams will be in the market for new signal callers when business opens on March 15. This year’s draft could see as many as four passers go in the top 10, starting with Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who is expected to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 1 overall pick. Veterans such as Carson Wentz (Colts), Matthew Stafford (Rams) and Jared Goff (Lions) all found new homes earlier this year while Houston Texans dual threat Deshaun Watson desperately awaits the trade he demanded back in January.
Another name to keep an eye on is Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Despite going down with a gruesome ankle injury in Week 5 that required multiple surgeries, the 27-year-old is the top free agent on the market and a shade below Watson among potential QB targets.
The Cowboys are expected to give their star QB the franchise tag for the second offseason in a row, but ESPN’s Mike Greenberg had interesting advice for America’s Team on the 2/16 edition of Get Up!:
“Jerry Jones has screwed this situation up so badly, has put himself into a position where it is going to be so expensive to keep Dak Prescott, that right now, realistically, the best thing they can do is sign and trade him and rebuild. Because even with him they’re a bad team. They’re not a Super Bowl contender or anything close even with him.”
Greeny isn’t wrong. A second franchise tag for Prescott would bring his salary to close $37 million for next season. Additionally, while Dak was on pace to put up historic numbers before his 2020 season was cut short, the Cowboys were 1-3 in games he started and finished last year. The team has also only made the playoffs twice since Prescott took over as starter in 2016.
Owner Jerry Jones is a shrewd negotiator who has presided over holdouts from the likes of Emmitt Smith, Dez Bryant and most recently Ezekiel Elliott during his time running the team. While Prescott deserves a new contract, committing big money to a star passer coming off a serious injury doesn’t fix a leaky defense or make up for the play-calling ineptitude of head coach Mike McCarthy. According to ESPN's Todd Archer, the Cowboys are trying to get a deal done by March 9, which is the deadline for teams to officially place the franchise tag. If that date passes without Prescott's signature on a new contract, things could get interesting.
With plenty of teams looking for a quarterback of Prescott’s caliber and Dallas having so many holes to fill, a tag-and-trade, like Greenberg suggests, makes a ton of sense. The problem is no deal can happen without Prescott’s permission. Regardless, here are Prescott’s options if he opts for greener pastures elsewhere.
New York Jets: With nearly $68 million in cap space and a bevy of draft picks, no team is better equipped to make a move for Prescott (or any QB, for that matter) than the Jets. New York also has the No. 2 overall pick, which they could use on Ohio State’s Justin Fields or BYU’s Zach Wilson while spending money to address other areas. If Gang Green does decide to bring in a new signal caller, they could dangle 2018 No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold to acquire even more assets or recoup whatever they give up in a trade.
Much like the New Orleans Saints did with Drew Brees in 2006, the Jets could fix their biggest need behind center before the draft and then use the picks to continue building around whoever the new face of the franchise is. New York could offer their other first-round pick (No. 23 overall, from Seattle) along with another pick next year to acquire Prescott. They could even include Darnold or swap spots with Dallas, who own the 10th pick.
The downside for Prescott is the Jets currently possess one of the worst supporting casts in the league. Going from having Zeke, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and a top-flight offensive line to Jamison Crowder and a front five that allowed 43 sacks last season is quite the steep drop. Prescott would also go from a state with no income tax to a tri-state area that is among the highest in the nation. Both points make a trip to the northeast a tough sell.
Miami Dolphins: To be clear, the Dolphins don’t need a quarterback. After spending all of 2019 “tanking for Tua”, Miami got its wish when Tagovailoa slipped to them in last year’s draft. The former Alabama product didn’t wow as a rookie but his numbers (1,923 total yards and 14 combined touchdowns with just five interceptions and a 6-3 record as starter) are respectable enough to find the calls for him to be replaced confounding.
However, while Tagovailoa potentially has a bright future, he doesn’t possess the present value of Prescott (or Watson, who seems to be Miami’s top target). Like the Jets, the Dolphins own two first-round picks (No. 3, from Houston, and No. 18) in this year’s draft but does not own a second first-rounder next year. They do have two second-round picks this year though. An offer revolving around No. 18 and Tagovailoa could pique Dallas’ interest and the Dolphins’ flirtation with a playoff spot last season would make them more enticing to Prescott than New York.
If the Dolphins did find a way to add Prescott, they’d have to then address their woeful offensive line and shore up a running game that lacks a real bellcow.
Houston Texans: The Texans are adamant on not giving in to Deshaun Watson’s demands but that seems like posturing at this point. Watson didn’t even wait until the season was finished to declare he was finished in Houston, which should give you an idea of how desperate he is to get out of town.
If or when Houston decides to move on from its 25-year-old franchise QB, it will likely look to trade him for a bevy of picks that will allow them to rebuild a roster dismantled by former head coach/GM Bill O’Brien and current front office villain Jack Easterbay.
However, if it is proven talent that Houston seeks, they won’t find much better than Prescott.
Dallas isn’t on Watson’s list of preferred destinations but an offense with this much talent shouldn’t be a hard sell. A Prescott-for-Watson swap would be one of the rare instances where Dallas would have to give up more to make the deal fair, as Watson is the better player of the two.
The other obstacle is convincing Prescott to stay within state borders to commandeer a team with holes everywhere and no capital to fill them.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have made their desire to upgrade behind center pretty obvious in recent weeks. They reportedly made a call to Detroit to acquire Matt Stafford before he was shipped off to Los Angeles and are in the process of clearing cap space for a run at Deshaun Watson.
The rumors come much to the chagrin of Teddy Bridgewater, who signed a three-year, $63 million deal with Carolina last March. Bridgewater disassociated himself from the Panthers on social media as he prepares to either be traded or replaced or both. Teddy Two Gloves is an adequate starting quarterback but his 15-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 15 games this past season doesn’t instill much hope in him being a long-term answer.
The Panthers’ pursuit of Watson makes sense. He played college ball two hours down the road at Clemson and putting him in the same backfield as Christian McCaffrey (assuming they can swing a deal without including CMC) would bring that offense to another level. If they can’t bring Watson back to Flair Country, Carolina could pivot to Prescott or hope one of the draft’s top QBs fall to them at No. 8.
As for Prescott, there’s a lot to like about a potential move to Carolina. McCaffrey is the league’s best all-purpose running back and the Panthers have two 1,000 yard receivers in DJ Moore and Robby Anderson (Fellow wideout Curtis Samuel was 149 yards short of 1K, but he’s a free agent). The offensive line needs work, but pairing Prescott and emerging head coach Matt Rhule together in this offense could make the Panthers a contender in a weak NFC.
The Panthers allegedly dangled their first-round pick and Bridgewater in a deal for Stafford, and that would likely be the starting ground of any proposal for Watson or Prescott. For Dallas, the prospect of holding two picks in the top 10 and having a stopgap QB in Bridgewater should put Carolina at the top of their speed dial.
New England Patriots: Like the rest of the world, 2020 was a rough year for Patriots coach Bill Belichick. His team missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years as it attempted to solider on without Tom Brady after 20 seasons in New England. Then, he had to watch the former face of his franchise hoist another Super Bowl trophy without him.
Despite all the preseason comeback hype, Cam Newton couldn’t find his MVP form (or even a Pro Bowl form) in his first (and likely only) season with the Pats. He finished with 2,657 yards and just eight touchdowns while rushing for 592 yards in 15 games. Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer did even less to instill confidence in the Patriots’ passing game, which is a big reason why The Athletic’s Jeff Howe is reporting New England has “had conversations regarding every potential (quarterback) trade target in the league”.
That list is sure to include the likes of Deshaun Watson, Teddy Bridgewater, the Raiders’ Marcus Mariota and former Patriots heir apparent Jimmy Garoppolo (now with the Niners). It’s unclear whether the Patriots would be interested in Prescott, but the team doing its due diligence on veteran QBs suggests they aren’t looking to put a rookie in charge of the offense next season.
Picking 15th in this year’s draft, New England is probably out of the Justin Fields/Zach Wilson/Trey Lance range anyway. They could use the pick as the key piece to a Prescott trade, but this isn’t the Patriots teams of years past with a war chest of selections to barter with. A mid-first this year and a (likely) mid-to-late first next year isn’t enticing the Cowboys unless they get desperate or Dak is adamant on coming to New England.
Still, if the Patriots are exploring every option for a new QB, it’s only a matter of time before they hit Jerry Jones’ phone.
San Francisco 49ers: The Niners were the latest victim of the dreaded Super Bowl Hangover as injuries ravaged one of the league’s most promising teams. Even before last season’s disappointing 6-10 finish, the need for QB help was evident as Jimmy Garoppolo has struggled with consistency and staying healthy. Due $24 million in each of the next two seasons, Jimmy G is likely to be cut or traded by the cap-strapped Niners this spring. A reunion in New England seems like the best bet, but regardless of the 29-year-old’s future, San Francisco will be looking for another passer.
Of Prescott’s potential suitors, the Niners represent Dak’s best chance at contending for a championship. They are a year removed from playing in the Super Bowl and possess one of the best young defenses in the league, provided everyone comes back healthy and cap restraints don’t force the team to make drastic changes. Running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson are an underrated 1-2 punch on the ground while All-Pro tight end George Kittle, WR Brandon Aiyuk and WR Deebo Samuel would give Prescott a solid group of targets.
Garoppolo isn’t likely to fetch much in a trade but any picks headed San Francisco’s way could be used along with their 12th overall pick and future selections in a deal for Prescott. They could even throw in pass rusher Dee Ford, which would save the Niners $15.6 million next season and would be a huge addition for a Cowboys defense that needs everything.
The Long Shots
Washington Football Team: There’s no doubt the defending NFC East champions need a new QB after trotting out the three-headed monster of Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins and Taylor Heineke last season, but there’s a better chance of Jerry Jones kneeling for the anthem than him trading his franchise QB to his biggest rival.
Chicago Bears: Chicago didn’t make an offer for Carson Wentz, nor did they show interest in Matt Stafford or Jared Goff. They clearly need an upgrade from Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles, but don’t have the draft capital to swing a deal for Deshaun Watson or even Dak Prescott. Are they waiting for free agency? Swinging lower for someone like Marcus Mariota or Teddy Bridgewater? Holding out for a cap casualty like Ben Roethlisberger? Hoping a top QB prospect falls? Time will tell, but they should definitely be in the market for a new passer.
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees has likely played his last NFL snap, leaving a huge void on one of the league’s most potent offenses. The team will likely re-sign Jameis Winston to pair with Tim Tebow clone Taysom Hill but the prospect of Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas playing alongside Dak Prescott or Deshaun Watson is a conversation worth having. Unfortunately, the Saints’ picking at the bottom of the draft limits that convo to pipe dream status unless the Cowboys or Texans are just desperate to do whatever it takes to deprive Tom Brady of his eighth ring.
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings’ $96 million Kirk Cousins experiment hasn’t led to any lengthy postseason runs yet but the team is in salary cap hell That means no upgrades are coming unless they find a team willing to inherit the $66 million Cousins is owed over the next two seasons. Dallas coach Mike McCarthy is very familiar with Cousins from his time coaching against him with the Packers, but even he’s not foolish enough to talk his bosses into acquiring arguably the worst contract in football.
On the flip side, Cousins hasn’t been terrible and he could thrive with this amount of talent around him in a return to a division he knows well from his Washington days. As for Prescott, a Dalvin Cook-Adam Thielen-Justin Jefferson-Irv Smith quartet of weapons almost compensates for the fact he’ll be running for his life behind Minnesota’s turnstile offensive line.
