Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott alarmed fans when a photo of him sporting a walking boot while on vacation hit the internet earlier this month. With training camp just around the corner, many were left wondering whether Prescott suffered a concerning injury in his surgically repaired ankle.
As it turns out, Prescott was just fine and that he was only wearing the boot for precautionary reasons.
He further allayed injury fears among fans when he doubled down on the reason behind his use of a walking boot (via Todd Archer of ESPN).
“Dak Prescott said the reason why he was on a walking boot was after some soreness developed in his surgically repaired right ankle following two hard workouts. He was just being cautious as he was going on a vacation but does not anticipate it being an issue when camp begins.”
Prescott's right ankle has always been a point of concern within Cowboys Nation since he fractured it in a Week 5 game against the New York Giants back in the 2020 NFL regular season.
The former Mississippi State Bulldogs star signal-caller needed to undergo surgery to repair his injured ankle right away, causing him to miss the remainder of that year's NFL campaign. Dallas was forced to start Andy Dalton for most of the games that season following Prescott's injury while also giving the likes of Ben DiNucci and Garret Gilbert some runs under center.
None of those backups are still in Dallas' fold, and if Prescott misses a game in the upcoming 2024 NFL season, the Cowboys will be going with either Cooper Rush or Trey Lance.
Prescott, who will be turning 31 years old later this month, passed for 4,516 yards with a total of 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions thrown on a 69.5 percent completion rate across 17 games played in the 2023 season. The Cowboys finished first in the NFC East division standing with a 12-5 record but their Super Bowl dreams crumbled right away in the playoffs, as they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC wild-card round.
Nevertheless, Prescott made a very good case in 2023 about why the Cowboys should do everything they can to keep him in Arlington for years to come.
Dak Prescott's extension talks with the Cowboys
This walking boot saga involving Dak Prescott has come up amid uncertainty about his next contract with the Cowboys. Although he's already tried to clear up his walking boot use, it doesn't help instill confidence in Dallas about his long-term health, which is important because the Cowboys have yet to offer him a contract extension.
For what it's worth, Prescott said that his side and the Cowboys are having “conversations” but he'd rather have his agents deal with it, per Archer.
According to Spotrac, Prescott has a staggering estimated market value of a quarterback who's worth $212.252 million over the course of four years. That checks out for a $53.063 million average annual salary. Prescott will be earning just $29 million in the 2024 NFL season.
The onus here is on the Cowboys to get a deal done with Prescott. Unless they see Lance as a potential future franchise quarterback or have plans of finding a new one, the Cowboys will have to find a way to keep Prescott beyond the 2024 NFL campaign. Prescott could leave via free agency as early as the next offseason.
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