FRISCO, Texas — The NFL says Dak Prescott is a good guy, and they just rewarded him for the All-Pro quarterback for it, as the Dallas Cowboys' franchise signal-caller prepares for voluntary OTAs in June.
Prescott, the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year, was honored in May 2026 as the league-wide winner of the "Good Guy Award", an honor bestowed annually upon a player by the PFWA (Professional Football Writer's Association) to and NFL player "for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs" who consistently remains available to the media.
"Dak Prescott is one of the more accessible star players in the NFL," said Dallas PFWA chapter vice president and former PFWA president Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. "He talks once a week during the season and of course after every game. However, if Dak is needed for an off-the-record conversation, he's there for you. Dak explains the game to you from a game plan standpoint and reviews certain plays if you ask. The trust he has with the beat writers is respected on both sides. He understands the job of reporters more than anybody."
This is a higher level of the team-specific "Good Guy Award" that is given to a player from each team every year by the PFWA, and Prescott joins the company of some very familiar faces who have earned the honor since its inception in 2005 — when Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis landed the inaugural award.
Since then, while there have been some teams represented more than once, such as the Philadelphia Eagles leading the way with a total of four representatives, including defensive lineman Brandon Graham in 2025, Prescott's win makes history for Dallas, in that he is the first Cowboys' player to ever take home the award.
Only one other Cowboys' player has ever come close to receiving the award, Jason Witten, the future Hall of Fame tight end being a finalist on four separate occasions (2009, 2015, 2017 and 2018). Prescott was a finalist on one other occasion, in 2024, but Houston Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud was awarded the honor instead.
And so, as Prescott prepares to try and lead the Cowboys toward The Promised Land this season, he'll do so knowing that the media is thankful for his professionalism, class (and availability) in all of their interactions.
