Dak Prescott: The Cowboys’ Quarterback on a Mission (Explained Simply)

Meet Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott is a football player who throws the ball for the Dallas Cowboys (a team in the NFL – the big professional football league in the U.S.).

• He is about to start his 11th season with the team.
• He is now the player who has been on the current team the longest.
• He is still a bit behind two other Cowboys legends, Jason Witten and L.P. Ladouceur, who each played 16 seasons for the team.
• But Dak cares most about a different goal: he wants to win the Super Bowl (the big championship game) just like two other Cowboys quarterbacks (the main throwers) did – Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Those are the only two QBs who brought Super Bowl wins to the team.

Quick Facts (like a trading card):

• Years in NFL: 10 (he has played pro football for a decade)
• How he joined: He was picked in the 2016 4th-round draft (a yearly event where teams choose college players; the 4th round is later, meaning he wasn’t seen as a top choice)

How Dak Became the Starter (A Happy Accident)

Long story short, Dak was not supposed to be the star right away. Here is how it happened, step by step:

1. In 2016, people thought he was a okay-but-not-great young quarterback prospect (a possible future player who needed practice).
2. The Cowboys chose him in the 4th round. Most thought he would not be the future star, or even the main backup (the person who fills in).
3. Another quarterback, Kellen Moore, got hurt in practice (training camp). That let Dak become the primary backup.
4. Then the star QB Tony Romo got injured in the third practice game (preseason) before the real season. Dak played amazing in those August games, so he unexpectedly became the Week 1 starter (the first game of the real season) as a rookie (first-year player).

Dak’s Awesome Stats and Growth

Dak did really well right away:

• In 2016, he set two rookie records (best ever for a first-year QB):
  • Most wins: 13
  • Best passer rating (a score that shows how good his throws were): 104.9 in one season.
• When Romo was healthy again in Week 11, the team had already won 8 games in a row, so they kept Dak as the starter. He has kept the job ever since.

Over the years, Dak got even better at passing:

• In 2019, a coach named Moore (now offensive coordinator – the person who plans the attacking plays) opened up the offense.
• Dak jumped from 3,885 passing yards (the distance he threw the ball) the year before to a career-high 4,902 yards, and got at least 30 passing touchdowns (scores from his throws) for the first time.
• Even with new coaches later, he stayed one of the NFL’s most productive statistical quarterbacks.

Important Point: Dak is known as a great leader and a really good person off the field. Fantasy football owners (people who play a game using real players’ stats) still expect him to score a lot of points.

The Big Shadow: Playoff Struggles

Even though Dak is good in normal games, the playoffs (special games after the season to decide the champion) have been a problem:

• Like Romo before him, Dak has never won past the second round of the playoffs.
• He has had a couple of great playoff games, but more often he has struggled.
• The Cowboys measure success by Super Bowl wins, and the team hasn’t won one since 1995 (the “story since 1996” means fans have suffered a long drought). Dak’s legacy is tied to that unfinished business.

Important Point: All the nice stats and his nice-guy reputation are “window dressing” – meaning they are extra. What really matters is whether he helps the team win the ultimate goal: the Super Bowl.

Dak’s Contract and Why Some Fans Grumble

Let’s look at his job security and money:

• Role: Starting QB
• Roster Chance: 100% (he is definitely on the team)
• Years Left on Contract: 3
• 2026 Cap Hit: $44.6 million (this is how much his pay counts against the team’s spending limit that year)

Many fans criticize him because of his contract:

• If he were paid about $33 million per year like Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold, people would complain less.
• In 2021, the Cowboys made him the most expensive player in NFL history (later passed by Patrick Mahomes). That made people compare his play to his huge paycheck.
• To spend money on other players, Dallas has repeatedly restructured (changed) his deal to lower the yearly cap hit. This created a lot of dead money (money the team still owes even if they cut him).
• Even the final year (2028) has over $55 million in dead money right now. This makes his job super safe, but hard to swallow for fans because he hasn’t won Super Bowls.

Important Point: A player with that much dead money is “virtually untouchable” – the team can’t easily replace him even if they wanted to.

What’s Next? Age, Injuries, and Team Help

A few worries for the future:

• Dak turns 33 soon. The team has tried to develop other QBs like Trey Lance or Joe Milton, but hasn’t added a major backup. That’s concerning as he nears the age where players often decline (though some QBs play well into late 30s or 40s now).
• Since 2020, he has been on the injured reserve (list of hurt players) on and off:
  • 2020: missed 11 games (big leg injury)
  • 2022: missed 5 games
  • 2024: missed 9 games
  • This pattern makes people wonder if he’ll get hurt again around 2026. Older players get injured more easily.
• Last year (2025 talk), the team’s defense (the group that tries to stop the other team) was so bad that Dak’s offense got a “pass” (blame was elsewhere). The hope is the defense improves so Dak’s good stats can lead to more wins and a playoff return.

Note: The original article is part of a series and mentioned earlier player profiles, but we just need to know Dak is the focus here.

Summary

Dak Prescott is the long-time Dallas Cowboys quarterback who unexpectedly became a star in 2016 after others got hurt. He has great regular-season stats and records, but the team has not won in the playoffs under him. He is paid a lot of money, which makes some fans unhappy, but his contract makes him very secure. As he turns 33 and faces injury history, the team hopes a better defense will help his offensive success finally bring the Super Bowl back to Dallas.

FAQ

1. Why wasn’t Dak supposed to be the starter in 2016?
He was picked late (4th round) and seen as a project. Only after two other QBs got hurt and he played great in practice games did he get the job.

2. What are Dak’s main playoff problems?
He has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs, and while he has had a few good games, he has struggled more often than not in the postseason.

3. Why do fans complain about his contract?
Because he was the highest-paid player in 2021, and his large salary (and dead money) is compared to his lack of Super Bowl wins.

4. Is Dak definitely going to be the Cowboys’ QB this season?
Yes, his roster chance is 100% and he is the starting quarterback; the team hasn’t brought in a serious replacement.

5. Will Dak’s injuries hurt the team soon?
Since 2020 he has missed many games in certain years, and because he is getting older, the chance of another big injury goes up, which is a concern for 2026 and beyond.