Dak Prescott signed a historic four-year, $240 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys last year, becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history. Unfortunately, he signed it just hours before taking the field for the 2024 season opener on September 8. Those rocky negotiations turned out to be a sign of things to come. The Cowboys finished just 7-10, due in large part to a Week 9 injury that sidelined Prescott for the rest of the season.
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The 31-year-old QB suffered a partial avulsion to his right hamstring that required season-ending surgery. He was often seen bouncing around on crutches on the sidelines, but that’s not where you want your $60 million man. Fortunately for Cowboys fans — aside from those hoping Dallas drafts Shedeur Sanders in a couple of weeks — Prescott’s recovery is going smoothly.
During his appearance at the 35th annual Children’s Cancer Fund gala on Friday, the Cowboys QB said that if he “had to play a game today, [he] definitely could do that.” It’s an encouraging update, especially considering how often we’ve seen him on crutches over the last few months.
“It’s about moving forward healthy to make sure I can play 17 times, 20 [games] — whatever we get to when the time’s right. … I’m getting close to where I want to be. I don’t want to put a percentage on it,“ Prescott continued (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
Even more heartening is that Prescott seemed quite bullish on his chances of participating in organized team activities (OTAs). Those sessions run from May 19 to June 5 for the Cowboys, so that’s over a month for Prescott to keep attacking his rehab. If he can’t get ready by then, he should be out there for minicamp, which runs June 10 to 12.
“I know we’ve got team activities coming up; imagine myself being involved in some sort, if not all. Then again, I just understand my age, what I’ve had, what I’ve went through; it’s about being my best in the fall. So I’m not rushing anything, but I’m where I want to be,” added the Cowboys star.
However, “America’s Team” will always be one of the top punching bags in the league as long as they maintain their current three-decade streak of mediocrity. The news of Prescott’s progress in his injury rehab was no exception. One fan on Twitter quipped that Prescott being able to “play a game today” also meant that he “Could take an L today if he had to.“
Could take an L today if he had to
— Sami ON Tap (@SamiOnTap) April 12, 2025
Another doubled down on that joke, saying, “I respect it he didn’t say “win a game”“.
Continuing the main theme of the responses to Schefter’s update tweet, one user predicted what Prescott might do in said game: “Dak went on to reinjure his hamstring and throw 6 interceptions in said “game””.
This one quipped, “Well, there are no games in April, Dak.”
It will be interesting to see if the star QB can silence his critics this season. With the Cowboys making no significant moves during the free agency, he’ll need to work with last year’s roster. A few additions from the draft could provide a boost, but the 2025 season is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for the quarterback.
