5 teams that could ruin Cowboys fans lives by stealing Dak Prescott in 2025

Remember when the Dallas Cowboys won 12 games to claim the NFC East crown, led by an elite offensive season from MVP runner-up Dak Prescott? Well, that was before Dallas was trounced 48-32 in the opening round of the playoffs, sending the fanbase into another spiral of doom and gloom.

The Cowboys just can't figure out how to win in the playoffs. Maybe it's Mike McCarthy. Maybe it's Jason Garrett. Oh, wait. Yes, the Cowboys probably should've made changes on the coaching front. But, rest assured, Dallas has gotten much better through free agency. Yeah, that's not true, actually. Dallas has been abnormally quiet for a flunked contender.

Now, the future of their franchise QB is hanging in the balance. Dak Prescott will not sign an extension from the looks of it, with Jerry Jones leaving the door wide open for Prescott to depart in 2025. Now we know why they traded for Trey Lance.

Dallas' lack of urgency on the Prescott front has been mildly baffling. Sure, Prescott shares the blame for these postseason flameouts, but he's also a three-time Pro Bowl QB who completed 69.5 percent of his passes and threw for 4,516 yards last season. He compiled 36 touchdowns through the air and two on the ground, tied with Jalen Hurts for the second-most total TDs in the NFL.

If the Cowboys don't hold tight, another team will gladly take their chances on Prescott. Here are the looming threats.

5. We know the Broncos aren't riding Jarrett Stidham to the promised land

And, we also know only one team can actually trade up for J.J. McCarthy, assuming he falls far enough to be traded up for. The Denver Broncos appear set to begin the season with Jarrett Stidham under center and a rookie QB hot on his heels. I'm not sure what the big show about shedding Russell Wilson's contract was, because the Broncos are about to regress.

That said, Denver should have clear books to sign Prescott in 2025 if the opportunity presents itself. We know Sean Payton is a great QB coach when he actually likes and trusts his QB. He can probably find more parallels between Drew Brees and Prescott than he could with 2023 Russell Wilson. Denver needs to build up the rest of the offense too, but most contenders start with an elite QB and go from there.

Prescott hasn't been the most reliable of "great" QBs, but he's one of the best in the league at his apex. Last season was a true masterclass from the 30-year-old, who operated with the greatest poise and precision of his career. Knowing Prescott, the script could flip dramatically in 2024. That would be a very Cowboys' outcome. But, odds are, Prescott will continue to profile as the franchise QB Denver presently lacks.

We know Sean Payton has clout in the Broncos' front office, and we know he's itching to get his hands on a real weapon at the QB position. It only makes sense to watch out for the Broncos next offseason.

4. Aidan O'Connell probably isn't the future of Raiders football

The Las Vegas Raiders signed Gardner Minshew, who is severely underrated at this point. He kept the Colts afloat without Anthony Richardson, and while Shane Steichen earned most of the acclaim, we should give Minshew his flowers, too. He doesn't do anything particularly special, but he's a spunky, vocal leader who can make the right reads and extend plays with decent mobility in the pocket.

That said, Minshew is not the future of the Raiders organization, nor is sophomore QB Aidan O'Connell. We saw the latter step into a void and make some big throws last season, but he's far too erratic to truly earn the trust of his coaching staff. The Raiders are another candidate to trade up and draft a QB, but again, only four teams can actually land the top four QBs. So, there's a chance Las Vegas takes a gap year at the position and rides with Minshew.

Minshew is a very Vegas QB, for what it's worth, but the Raiders would much rather have Dak Prescott. Put Prescott in a reworked offense, next to Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, and Las Vegas is suddenly cooking with gas. The first taste of head coach Antonio Pierce was a resounding success. He's a true leader of men who can rally the troops as well as any coach in football. New OC Luke Getsy has a shakier reputation but freed from the shackles of Chicago, maybe he starts to show more promise.

The Raiders would offer Prescott the chance to play primetime football in a major market. Few organizations have a more substantial football tradition, even if its reputation has been spoiled in recent years with the move to Vegas and the front office's mind-numbing approach. Prescott can help restore the Raiders to their former glory.

3. Tua Tagovailoa hasn't signed an extension with the Dolphins either

Speaking of extremely accomplished Pro Bowl QBs who haven't signed an extension before the final year of their current contract... Tua Tagovailoa is still floating in limbo for the Miami Dolphins. And, if you think Prescott's regular season success in Dallas is a mirage, man do I have some news for you.

The Dolphins need a new QB yesterday. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the most explosive WR combo in the NFL. Mike McDaniel is a bonafide offensive wizard, scheming his top weapons open and breaking defenses down with unmatched precision. Tagovailoa can ride quality decision-making in the regular season, but he has buckled time and time again as soon as real pressure is applied.

Prescott has a much better arm and enough experience to convince Miami that he is a meaningful improvement over Tagovailoa. McDaniel has developed a close bond with Tua, to the point where a breakup might truly pain the Dolphins head coach. But, winning is the primary goal in the NFL, and the Dolphins' chances of reaching the mountaintop increase tenfold with Prescott in the pocket.

Giving Prescott two elite speedsters, a dynamic run game, and the most QB-friendly scheme in football is a solid recipe for success. I'm far more confident in Prescott maintaining his timing and his poise under the postseason spotlight than I am with Tagovailoa. The Cowboys have a lot of issues that stretch beyond Prescott. It's oversimplifying the Dolphins' shortcomings to pin it all on Tagovailoa, but he shares a much larger portion of the blame. Let's just say that.

2. Giants can dance on Cowboys' grave by signing Dak Prescott

Hey, Daniel Jones' contract is essentially off the books next offseason. The New York Giants are a strong candidate to land one of J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels in a couple weeks, but if another team leapfrogs New York, the Giants could be left with Drew Lock as the only viable alternative at QB.

New York has been oscillating between varying degrees of mediocrity since Eli Manning left. It's time for the Giants to land a true franchise QB and start building some momentum. It looks like 2025 could provide them with the perfect opportunity, not only to improve their own QB room but to decimate a division rival in the process.

This is the fandom equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane for the Cowboys. Losing Prescott would suck, big time. Losing him to the Giants would equate to prolonged torture, watching a former franchise cornerstone resurrect your worst enemy. Prescott alone probably can't save the Giants, but if New York signs a few solid receivers and drafts a quality O-lineman or two, the Giants suddenly look quite solid in the NFC East.

Frankly, Dallas should be tripping over themselves to re-sign Prescott just so this doesn't happen. If Dallas truly won't acquiesce to Prescott's demands after all he has done for the organization, might he not develop a bit of spite and seek to inflict maximum pain on his former team? We just saw Saquon Barkley sign with the Eagles. New York is surely pining for an opportunity like this, especially if their NFL Draft plans don't pan out.

1. Steelers will be right back in the QB market next offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers have added a trio of new QBs this offseason, but none of it really impacts their 2025 outlook. Justin Fields' contract option for next season, worth north of $25 million, probably isn't in the cards for Pittsburgh. That's too much money for a backup QB. Russell Wilson is signed for one season. It's hard to imagine him performing so well that he earns the front office's unwavering commitment next spring.

Fields is the obvious threat to spoil this conversation. If he takes over for Russ midseason and looks the part of a viable NFL starter at 25 years old, Pittsburgh could ride with the former first-round pick long-term. Absent material progress from Fields, however, the Steelers will be back in the market for a new QB a year from now.

It's about time for the Steelers to figure out a concrete plan for the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. The Kenny Pickett thing didn't work out. They haven't really made any strides toward a permanent solution. Dak Prescott could put an end to all the speculation, manning the pocket in Pittsburgh for the next 5-10 years and giving the Steelers' offense a leader worthy of postseason success.

We'll need to see how Arthur Smith fares in a streamlined role, as his offensive play-calling was seldom inspiring in Atlanta. But, how much of that was rooted in his god-awful QBs? Prescott doesn't need to earn trust; he can run the full playbook from day one. The Steelers have a talented WR in George Pickens, a great defense to bank on, and football's most stubbornly consistent head coach in Mike Tomlin. We cannot rule out Dak making his way to the Steel City.