Stephen Jones says Dak Prescott remains the face of the Dallas Cowboys’ future at QB
Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones is admittedly still in shock one day after losing quarterback Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season.
Prescott underwent successful surgery Sunday night to repair the compound fracture and dislocated right ankle he sustained in the Cowboys’ 37-34 victory against the New York Giants hours earlier. The fifth-year star player was released from the hospital Monday to begin what is expected to be four to six months of rehab and recovery.
“The win was huge for us, but at the same time, to lose our leader, our captain,” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “He’s our heartbeat. Just to lose him, just really kills you in terms of deep down. I think we’re still in shock. But certainly Dak is such a warrior.“
But where does exact leave Prescott moving forward?
The 27-year-old quarterback entered the 2020 season playing on the one-year franchise tag of $31.4 million because he was unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with the team. He will be a free agent in 2021.
Jones, who had planned to resume negotiations with Prescott after the season, said nothing has changed from the Cowboys’ perspective with regard to Prescott. Jones says the quarterback is the face of the franchise and remains the sole focus of their future at the position.
“He is our future,” Jones said. “He is special. If anyone can overcome [this], it will be Dak. Our doctors feel good he will be able to overcome it and be better than ever. We feel [good] about him being ready to go next year.”
Jones said he and team owner Jerry Jones shared those words with Prescott when they visited with him in the locker room before he was taken to the hospital.
Nearly everyone in the stadium was stunned and overcome with a range of emotions as soon as Prescott went down. The tears from Prescott and despair on the faces of his teammates on the field were matched by the looks of disbelief, tears and hugs in the owner’s suite.
“It just goes without saying. Immediately you knew it was very, very gruesome and significant injury,” Jones said. “And, so, you can imagine your feelings. Think so much of Dak, not the player, but the person, and what must be going through his mind. He’s such a competitor — loves this game, loves this team. Just wide ranges of emotion. Seeing him in the locker room right after it happened, had him in there. Just special. It’s special.”
What did Jones say to Prescott before the surgery?
“Obviously our prayers are with him, how much we believe in him, how much we’re going to miss him,” Jones said. “But at the same time know that he’s going to come back better, stronger, better than ever. He’s the face of our franchise and to have him and know that he’ll overcome this. He’s a driven, special man.”
Stephen and Jerry Jones both based their belief in Prescott being able to overcome the injury and be better than ever on their knowledge of what he has overcome and endured already.
Prescott lost his mother to cancer in while he was attending Mississippi State before leading the traditionally middle-of-the-pack football team to unprecedented heights including a brief stint as the No. 1 team in the nation.
He then surpassed all expectations in the NFL when he went from a fourth-round pick and projected backup to becoming the starter as a rookie and leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and NFC East title.
And there were additional personal and professional setbacks. In April, Prescott said he had battled depression over the COVID-19 pandemic and then later that month Prescott’s brother Jace took his own life. The conversation of when he would receive a long-term contract consistent with other top players at his position lingered for a year, and resulted in Prescott receiving the one-year contract instead of a multi-year deal that could have secured him as much as $100 million. Prescott refused to take part in team activities while he and the team could not reach an agreement, a standard practice employed by the league’s top players when negotiations fail.
Yet, Prescott recovered to fashion the finest statistical start to the season by any quarterback in franchise history. In fact, no player in NFL history had ever had three straight games passing for 450 yards or more. His 1,690 yards passing through the first four games were the most ever by an NFL quarterback.
And his five game total of 1,856 passing yards is the most ever by a Cowboys quarterback.
Prescott has already resolved to live up to Jones’ expectations and return better than ever based on this tweet by his brother Tad, who was with him at the hospital: “MVP & Comeback player of the Year in the same season The fight starts today Lil bro. Let’s get it. @dak”.
Now, that would be quite the story in 2021.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 2:56 PM.
