Former head coach ideates Cowboys trade that would make Falcons instant NFC South favorites

Earlier this week on Get Up, ESPN's Mike Greenberg was awestricken over how much leverage Dak Prescott has over the Dallas Cowboys franchise entering his final year of his contract. He is unable to be franchise tagged in 2025 and has final authority on all potential trade destinations for him. Prescott carries with him a $59.5 million salary cap hit for 2024. If he wants to leave, now is the time.

Prescott's family members are not alone in their criticism of the Cowboys' current operation. They have lost in embarrassing fashion in each of the last three postseasons. Common threads outside the lines include head coach Mike McCarthy, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and of course, owner Jerry Jones. Simply put, the going rate for Prescott on the opening market in 2025 is $59.5 million.

As Greenberg was astounded over how much control Prescott has over the situation, he threw it to his ESPN colleague in former Indianapolis Colts star center and interim head coach Jeff Saturday. He suggested the Atlanta Falcons are the perfect landing spot for him. Saturday is an Atlanta area native, but his assessment of the Dirty Birds' situation makes this an ideal landing spot for the Cowboys star.

Here is the entire video clip of Saturday taking Greenberg's handoff to pay dirt for the Dirty Birds.

Atlanta has a talented roseter, but the Falcons are one of three NFL teams without a head coach.

Jeff Saturday wants to see Dak Prescott be traded to the Atlanta Falcons

At this point, anything the Falcons get from the quarterback position will be seen as an upgrade. The handing off of the baton between Matt Ryan to his successor was as clunky of a transition I have ever seen out of the Falcons since I really became a fan of this football franchise 25 years ago with the Original Dirty Birds of 1998. So when I say I would welcome Prescott with open arms, believe me.

Atlanta has the No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming draft, but may only be in a position to take QB4. While either J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. could thrive in Atlanta, the Falcons will need to trade down for any of them, as they are not on the level of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or even Jayden Daniels coming out of college. Prescott is the perfect age to reboot his NFL career a bit.

He would be getting out of hell's kitchen in Dallas by going to a more relaxed media market in Atlanta. This is a college football town, but Atlanta will support a winner in any sport. Prescott is younger than Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who many have paired him with Bill Belichick as pieces to lead Atlanta going forward. Prescott is not as good as Cousins, but is a good bit younger than him.

To me, taking on that big of a salary with no assurances of an extension kind of irks me. Then again, having a stabilizing presence at quarterback for the next five-to-seven years would be a wonderful thing. Prescott has shown he can win a division pretty regularly. The NFC South feels wide open at its current state. Moreover, Prescott feels like a quarterback who can work with any coach Atlanta hires.

The fact that Prescott is a Walter Payton Man of the Year winner only adds intrigue to a possible deal.