Could the Steelers be a dark horse for Dak Prescott in 2021?

Could Dak Prescott be Ben Roethlisberger’s heir apparent in Pittsburgh?

If Dak Prescott isn’t on the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, maybe he’s on the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Of course, there are a lot of things that have to transpire for it to even happen, but it wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world. Assuming Prescott does not sign a multi-year deal with the Cowboys and plays on the tag, he could be hitting unrestricted free agency in 2021. Of course, the Cowboys could tag him again, but that tender would pay him roughly $38 million.

We’d also have to assume longtime Steelers starter Ben Roethlisberger either retires after the 2020 NFL season or has fallen off so much physically he’s no longer a top-half NFL starter. Last season gave us a glimpse at what the Steelers have waiting in the wing in Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. Let’s just say that wasn’t the same Hall of Fame standard as Big Ben.

Finally, we’d have to assume the Steelers don’t dip their toes into the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback market. The Steelers will probably be too good to draft Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson or Justin Fields out of Ohio State with a top-five pick. However, they could pursue someone like Trey Lance out of North Dakota State or Jamie Newman out of Georgia in the middle of the first round.

Is Dak Prescott the answer for the Steelers when Big Ben retires?

While Prescott could achieve great legacy if he stayed with the Cowboys, the Steelers have won six Super Bowls in their history as a franchise. In Dallas, Prescott will never surpass Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach. Then again, if he were to go to the Steelers, he probably wouldn’t have a chance to surpass Roethlisberger or Terry Bradshaw in Pittsburgh football lore either.

Though staying with the Cowboys is a good option with all the personnel around him, as well as the brand associated with “America’s Team”, Pittsburgh oddly is able to offset two of the better things Dallas has going for it. The Steelers always drafted well, especially at wide receiver. They’re also one of the NFL’s three biggest brands, along with the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.

With Cam Newton rumored to be in the mix to back up Roethlisberger this year until he joined up with the New England Patriots, the cat’s out of the bag that the Steelers are in hot pursuit of a long-term successor for Roethlisberger. Prescott won at a high level in college at a non-traditional power and is a two-time Pro Bowler in four years with the Cowboys. He can succeed in Pittsburgh.

However, it has never been the Steelers’ style to pay giant sums of money. It would take some in the ballpark of a $40 million annual contract to get Newton to leave a good spot like Dallas. You also have to factor in Texas has no state income tax, while Pennsylvania does. So it might have to be even higher than that to convince the Steel City is Prescott’s new home.

It’s a total pipe dream, but wouldn’t it be fascinating if Prescott took over for Roethlisberger?