Dallas Cowboys fans sounded the alarms when they watched quarterback Joe Milton III take the field late in Week 3. While there are reasons to feel encouraged about the young signal-caller's future, watching him replace Dak Prescott so early in the season was a major red flag.
Of course, the game was already out of reach, so perhaps head coach Brian Schottenheimer was only trying to keep his starting quarterback safe. Even so, it opened the door for speculation, and that's the last thing that America's Team needs right now. More than that, it's still too early to be having this conversation.
Cowboys Can't Afford to Give Up on Dak Prescott Right Now
The Cowboys' decision to restructure Prescott's contract worked like a charm in the short term, but it put them in a tough spot when it comes to cutting ties with him. That's just not realistic or feasible right now.
Releasing Prescott would cost the Cowboys $129.9 million at the start of the next offseason, according to OverTheCap. Doing so after June 1, 2026, would see that number drop to $74 million, but even that's too much to swallow. If a release ever happens, 2027 is the earliest and most realistic time.
So, as much as owner/general manager Jerry Jones has never been overly-committed to Prescott, at least with his words, he may have no choice but to stick with Prescott for the long haul. His playoff record, history of injuries, age, and steep salary make that quite tricky, but that's the hole that the Cowboys have dug themselves in.
At the end of the day, it seems like the best bet for the Jones family will be to hope that Prescott's play improves. When asked about his team's performance in Week 3, the veteran quarterback reaffirmed his faith in the offense.
“I believe in our offense, and I don’t think people can stop us. I think you can even go back and look at these possessions. We stopped ourselves," Prescott said during the post-game press conference. "I don’t know if they’ve done a lot to stop us, honestly. And that’s what’s frustrating.”
To be fair, there's only so much that anybody can do with a defense that's giving up the fifth-most points per game (30.7), as well as the most passing yards (288.0). Prescott might not be perfect, but he's the Cowboys' only real option under center this season, despite what Milton does on the field.
Prescott's patience has been tested a lot throughout his Dallas tenure, and it's time for the Cowboys and their fans to be patient with him.