FS1 personality Nick Wright questioned if the Patriots’ master plan to rebuild their culture includes Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
During Thursday’s installment “First Things First,” Wright explained how a Patriots-Prescott experiment could work, should Dallas choose to move on from the quarterback, who is entering the final year of his contract without an extension.
“What if the Patriots traded the pick at No. 3 [in the 2024 NFL Draft], particularly if [former North Carolina quarterback] Drake Maye is there, because then people want it even more because people seem to love him. Say he’s traded to Minnesota for [picks] 11 and 23 and something. [They] draft a tackle there … draft one of the mini-stud wide receivers in this class at 23, and have the plan be: we’re gonna sign Dak Prescott.”
The Patriots will have more than $200 million in cap space in 2025, according to Spotrac, which Wright explained will put them in a good position to land Prescott.
“He’s an unrestricted free agent and the whole idea … [they] could do the rare front-loaded deal,” he said. “You’re building the culture. The Cowboys couldn’t stop you. It seems he’s going to be available, teams with cap space aren’t going to be at the front of the line for him [because they’ll have their quarterbacks].
“Could that be the Patriots’ plan? Trade down, build the team, install a culture and then install an older known quantity at quarterback next season.”
A lot of things could happen before then, however.
Should the Patriots keep the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft next month, they could potentially land a rookie QB such as Maye or Jayden Daniels, as fellow prospect Caleb Williams is widely expected to go at No. 1 to the Bears.
At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Dallas could potentially extend Prescott.
NFL Network reported earlier this week that the team and Prescott “have a mutual understanding that there will be no adjustment to his contract entering the 2024 season.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed faith in Prescott at the NFL owners’ meetings in Orlando on Monday.
“I think there are a handful or more of quarterbacks playing who haven’t won a Super Bowl that will win a Super Bowl,” Jones said, according to the Cowboys’ official website.
“I think Dak is one of them. I’m firm there. He’s one of the ones who can.”
The Cowboys are in win-now mode after another early playoff exit in January, an embarrassing 48-32 wild-card loss to the Packers at home.
Jones explained his plan to “go all in” this offseason while at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in January.
“I think we’ll push the hell out of it,” the 81-year-old Jones said at the time. “It will be going all in on different people than you’ve done in the past. We’ll be going all in.
“I would say that you will see us this coming year not building for the future. That’s the best way I know how to say it. That ought to answer a lot of questions.”
