With the dog days of the NFL offseason rapidly approaching, hypothetical trades will serve as a way for the fans to fill the gaps created by slow news days. However, some of these trade ideas, much like any other hypothetical, are more rational than others.
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In recent days, one of these dreamt-up trade proposals caught fire, featuring one of the most controversial teams in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. The faux deal sees Dak Prescott join the ranks of the Cleveland Browns, with Dallas ultimately receiving compensation in the form of Shedeur Sanders via the Browns’ draft capital.
However, this one was quickly shot down by former NFL scout John Middlekauff. Asserting that the Browns would be foolish to trade the number two overall pick for a Prescott-centered package, Middlekauff quickly pointed out the flawed logic behind the idea during the most recent episode of his 3 and Out podcast.
“There are a lot of question marks with how good he is. He doesn’t have a great arm, he plays in a dome, you play in a cold, not great environment for weak armed quarterbacks. It’s really windy there in Cleveland… Now if you were Jerry, I think it’s complicated. It would destroy their cap, I think he would think about it from a marketing standpoint. The chances that Shedeur Sanders is better than Dak, just based on history… there’s no guarantee,” Middlekauff outlined.
Suffice to say, the deal doesn’t seem to be worth the risk for either team involved in the hypothetical. For Dallas, they are still hoping to supply Prescott with another weapon, not replace him entirely.
As far as the Browns are concerned, consecutive years of poor decision making have left the roster destitute. It’s going to take much more than a competent quarterback to fix their sinking ship. And shelling out for Prescott is likely to exacerbate their already inflamed issues.
While the trade does make for a fun thinking exercise, it’s for the betterment of both teams that it not be taken too seriously. Moreover, it is important to ask whether it is possible to trade Prescott.
Analysts react to Dak Prescott’s no-trade clause
In addition to the countless other reasons as to why such a trade would prove to be in bad taste, there’s also the issue of Prescott’s trade clause. During The Facility‘s most recent panel discussion, analyst and former Chicago Bears quarterback, Chase Daniel, described both Prescott and his contract as being “untradeable” at this point in time.
Citing the specific figures outlined in Prescott’s contract, the former NFL journeyman clarified that the Mississippi State product won’t be leaving Dallas anytime soon.
“There’s $187.5 million dollars owed to Dak Prescott. His cap hit in 2025? $50 million. His cap hit in 2026, if he were traded? $74 million dollars. Dak Prescott will be the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys for at least the next two years,” Daniel explained.
Declaring that there is no reason at all for Prescott to be “looking over his shoulder,” Daniel seemingly put an end to any potential trade rumors surrounding the signal call for the rest of the offseason. For better or worse, Jerry Jones and the rest of the Cowboys’ front office will attempt to make the most of what remains of Prescott’s prime years.
While that may be a bittersweet statement for the Dallas faithful to hear, it is all but guaranteed to be their reality for the foreseeable future.
