SAN FRANCISCO – In his fourth career trip to the Pro Bowl, the 2026 edition for Dak Prescott is one that brings back a lot of memories.
After wrapping up his 10th season with the Cowboys this past year, the trip to the Pro Bowl this time around has allowed him to reflect on the road it's taken to get to this point, especially when connecting with familiar faces that were with him at his first Pro Bowl back in 2016.
"Having come here my first year, my rookie year, it's awesome," Prescott said. "Being a decade in this, talking to Jared Goff, a guy being drafted with him, it's awesome to come back and see guys like him, guys like Christian McCafferey, guys like Trent Williams who were Pro Bowlers the first time I was."
"It's awesome just that camaraderie, getting to talk to them, getting to talk about the game, their organizations, what goes on on a daily operation basis, and it's just fun."
Like many players who earn a spot in the Pro Bowl early in their careers, Prescott looked at the event as a opportunity to pick the brain of some of the more veteran laden quarterbacks when he made the trips in 2016 and 2018.
Now, Prescott is the one that other quarterbacks and younger players in general are looking to learn from.
"It's been fun, just those natural conversations," Prescott said. "Just having great conversations with Jalen Hurts in the locker room or Bijan Robinson, and sharing your experiences, what you've grown, especially just talking about the quarterback position with Jalen, it's a blessing to be able to go through these experiences and now be able to share them to help some of these other great players."
Prescott's second Pro Bowl nod in the last three years feels even sweeter given what he went through in the 2024 season. After a hamstring injury caused him to miss the back half of his ninth NFL season, Prescott rebounded with one of the best years of his career in 2025, throwing for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns while starting in all 17 games.
That performance earned him a nomination for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year, joining Patriots WR Stefon Diggs, Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and 49ers RB Christian McCafferey. For Prescott, winning the award isn't as important as being able to return to play the game he loves at a high level once more.
"The nomination is enough," Prescott said. "All of us are deserving, each and every one of us that are finalists. Whether we win it or not, us being deserving, I'm thankful. The reward is us all coming back and getting to play this game, so I'm super thankful for that and congratulations for each and every one of those guys."
In an experience that's familiar for Prescott, one of his new teammates is experiencing the Pro Bowl for the first time. That'd be WR George Pickens, who is coming off the best season of his career and is entering an offseason where he’s expected to land a massive pay day.
There haven't been man bigger advocates for Pickens than Prescott, who believes that re-signing Pickens is one of, if not the biggest priority for the Cowboys this offseason.
"I think it's vital. I think it must be done," Prescott said. "I think obviously from Jerry to everybody down understands that, and one the impact on this offense and the team and the great player that he is, we've got to find a way to keep him here."
Prescott added that he has not yet spoken to Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones about an extension for Pickens, but has said in the past that he would do so if it would help keep a star on Pickens' helmet.
