Dak Prescott called the offensive plays for the Cowboys in their preseason finale, but neither the 31-16 win nor the 457 yards that the Cowboys generated were the biggest topic of conversation after the game.
The Cowboys traded for Trey Lance on Friday night and Prescott’s reaction to the addition of another quarterback was of greater interest. Prescott called it a “tough situation” for Will Grier, who played quarterback against the Raiders with the knowledge that he won’t be making the cut in Dallas and said that he is “ready to welcome” Lance to the club in the coming days.
“I mean obviously understand it’s a business,” Prescott said, via Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “That’s a first-round talent and you’re always trying to make your team better. But that was the front office so we’re going to welcome him as we do any teammate and hopefully he just makes us better and we’re going to continue to get back at it and know that we’ve got one goal as a team.”
Another angle to the trade is Prescott’s contract situation. His current deal is up after the 2024 season and offseason chatter about an extension didn’t result in a deal. The Lance trade could be seen as leverage for the Cowboys in future talks, although team owner Jerry Jones said that isn’t the case on Saturday. Prescott declined to delve into contract matters at all.
“I’m going to leave those talks in the office where business is handled,” Prescott said.
Prescott will put down his coaching headset and return to his familiar role as the team’s starting quarterback for Week One’s matchup with the Cowboys, so the immediate future doesn’t look any different in Dallas. The longer view is a bit less clear after Friday’s trade.