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Dak Prescott is going to be 33 years old before next season. What does his window look like now? How much time in his prime does he have left? – Isaac Varela*/Amarillo, TX*
Nick: Always a tough question to answer because we've seen cases of players that seem like they have several years left but when it ends, it ends quick. With Dak, you obviously hope that's not the case and it doesn't seem like he's anywhere close to slowing down. In fact, he's coming off one of his best seasons.
One thing I've always said about Dak is that he needs to return to "football player" mode and less quarterback. Yes, he's a quarterback and always will be, but the mindset needs to be more like a football player that will run, jump, slide, dive, hurdle, spin and even somersault if he has to, to get the needed yardage. We hadn't seen that much lately but it returned this year. It's not like he set the world on fire with his legs, but he ran enough to be about average for his career in terms of rushing yards (177) and rushing TDs (2).
But to answer the question, it's going to come down to his health moving forward. He does a great job of getting his body right in the offseason and let's see what happens this year now that he has a full offseason to train and not rehabbing another injury. But I think he's got 2-3 really good years like this and maybe 5 if he can avoid the major setbacks.
Kurt: Prescott has now reached that stage in his career where this is going to be an annual question. In fact, it's perhaps even more in mind this season because all but two of the quarterbacks whose teams reached the playoffs are younger than him. And the couple who are older, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford, have already won Super Bowls.
But can Prescott still take the Cowboys to the promised land? Of course, he can. Quarterbacks from Len Dawson in 1969, to John Elway in 1997, to Brad Johnson in 2002, to Stafford in 2021 have lifted the Lombardi Trophy at ages older than Prescott. Heck, even Dallas' own Roger Staubach won a title in 1977 at the age of 35 and then went back to the Big Game the next year.
With today's improvements in training, diet, sleep, rehabilitation and mental awareness, elite players in general can extend their careers. Throw in Prescott's drive and commitment, and there's no reason to think he can't continue to have the same kind of personal success that he enjoyed this season.
So yes, Prescott's window is still wide open. The real question, however, is whether the Cowboys can build a championship team around him within that same window. The time is now.
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