NFL Rumors: Mike McCarthy may have found Dak Prescott's successor at Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys head into the 2024 NFL season with plenty of uncertainty, since many members of the organization are on an expiring contract this year. One of them is quarterback Dak Prescott.

While team owner Jerry Jones doesn’t look worried about Prescott’s situation, it remains unclear whether Dak will be under center for America’s Team in 2025. But in the event he leaves, the team may already have the right successor.

Speaking to the media during OTAs, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looked impressed by backup quarterback Trey Lance, who was traded from San Francisco to Dallas last year.

“Young quarterback comes into a new system. So you got the learning curve, but now starting to get the timing with the routes,” McCarthy said, via Gridiron Heroics. “[Trey Lance is] close to being a master of the system. He has a really high understanding. He’s communicating very well. He looks more and more comfortable. He just needs reps. I know I say that every time I talk about him. He just needs as many reps as he can.”

Trey Lance #15 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up prior to a game against the New England Patriots at AT&T Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.

That’s quite the praise for the former first-round pick. While Lance couldn’t live up to the expectations in the Bay area, his age (24) and Prescott’s contract situation make him a candidate to take the reins in 2025. McCarthy’s recent comments make that scenario look even more realistic.

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McCarthy, however, by no means pretends to move on from Prescott anytime soon. In fact, he likes what he’s seeing from the quarterback ahead of his fifth season at the helm of the Cowboys.

“I think Dak is having his best offseason program that we’ve had,” McCarthy said. “This atmosphere that we’ve practiced in with the quarterback and receivers has really hit the mark. I’ve been very impressed with the quality of work. . . . With the quarterback, when the connection is there in the perimeter realm – and that’s been the majority of our physical activity — the connection is better. The receivers are playing with more urgency, more reps. The timing is better. The real test will be when we get to training camp.”

Prescott will continue to make headlines as his contract situation remains unchanged, with the Cowboys wondering what’s the best route to take in order to make a long-awaited Super Bowl appearance.