How Cowboys wasted one of Dak Prescott's best seasons

FRISCO, Texas -- Last January, Dak Prescott was barely off crutches after undergoing surgery for a right hamstring avulsion that ended his 2024 season after eight games.

It was the third time in five seasons he had missed significant time because of injury -- 11 games in 2020 with a dislocated and fractured right ankle; five in 2022 because of a broken right thumb; eight after his hamstring was torn from the bone last season.

There was never a doubt Prescott would return to his role as the Cowboys' starting quarterback for the 10th season -- but he responded with one of the best seasons of his career.

For the fourth time, he threw for more than 4,000 yards and had at least 30 touchdown passes. He completed at least 60% of his passes in each of the first 15 games. He became the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards (35,989), passing Tony Romo. He is tied for the NFL lead with six 300-yard passing games. He is tied for third in multi-touchdown passing games (10).

He was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time.

Prescott said he felt like his game reached a higher level in 2025.

"It's exciting knowing in Year 10 I'm playing my best, and I'm only going to get better in my mind about the way that I work and what I put into this game," Prescott said.

But the Cowboys' season ended with Sunday's 34-17 loss to the New York Giants. At 7-9-1, the Cowboys missed the playoffs and wasted one of Prescott's prime years.

"I hope to say the same next year, and that's just what I put into this game, the way that I've worked," Prescott said of his play. "Going back from being hurt last season, as early as it was, my offseason started a lot earlier, right? I think just the individual performance and plays, that was just a lot of the work that I put in the offseason. And so, honestly, I plan on going to this offseason doing the same thing, just kind of trying to stay in this groove."

Jerry Jones has said on numerous occasions his biggest regret as owner and general manager is not having won a Super Bowl with Romo as quarterback. The odds say Jones could have the same regret with Prescott. Since 1980, there has not been a full-time starting quarterback for the team that drafted him who made his first Super Bowl appearance after his 10th season.

But as Prescott, 32, approaches his 11th season, Jones believes the Cowboys will have a chance.

"Nothing -- apart from what we've done so far this season -- gives me anything but optimism about going forward at one of the key, if not the key position, quarterback," Jones said.

How many more chances does Prescott have left? Is it realistic to expect him to continue playing at this level? Can he avoid injury?

While the Cowboys are in Oxnard, California, for training camp in July, Prescott will turn 33.

When Roger Staubach was 33, he had five more Pro Bowl seasons ahead of him. He led the Cowboys to two Super Bowls, beating the Denver Broncos and losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Staubach's age 33 season was only his third year as the full-time starter.

When Troy Aikman was 33, he went 7-7 as the starter in 1999. The 8-8 Cowboys made the playoffs, but the glory days of their three Super Bowl wins was a fading memory. Aikman finished with 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions that season. His career ended the following season.

When Romo was 33, he had his second back surgery and missed the winner-take-all finale against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. He returned in 2014 and had his best season with the confluence of his experience, health and cast around him. The Cowboys finished 12-4 and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs. He would start only four more games the rest of his career after breaking his collarbone twice in 2015 and injuring his back again in the 2016 preseason, which opened the door for Prescott, a fourth-round pick.

Matthew Stafford was 34 when he won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams following a trade from the Detroit Lions. Tom Brady was 43 and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he won his final Super Bowl. Peyton Manning was 39 for his final Super Bowl win, playing for the Broncos.

"I see a guy that keeps getting better and better," coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "I think some of the things we did from a footwork training, we've talked about that throughout the year. I thought he has really bought into that and excelled at that stuff.

"I'm not saying [Prescott is] going to play 'til he's 48 or whatever Tom [Brady] was, but even watching Aaron Rodgers play, these guys, as their brains develop and they just continue to learn and see so much, I think you're seeing quarterbacks playing more and more. I think he has a number of good years left."

This is only the third time Prescott has missed the postseason when he has played at least 12 games. In 2017, the Cowboys failed to make the postseason with a 9-7 record, done in part by a six-game suspension for Ezekiel Elliott. In 2019, the Cowboys finished 8-8 in what turned out to be Jason Garrett's final season as head coach.

"Yeah, this one stinks for sure," Prescott said after the Cowboys were officially eliminated. "I hadn't felt this since my second year in the league, so it's a foreign feeling. I'd say for sure it's motivating as hell talking about all the changes and everything that's happened through the season. The ups and the downs, adding personnel, losing a teammate. A lot went into this year, and it's unfortunate that we were not in the position to be looking forward to the playoffs right now.

"I know just for me, not only me personally but for a lot of guys, this is a feeling that they'll carry into the offseason. We'll do our damnedest to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Prescott will do what he can to make sure health is not a problem, although the major injuries were more bad luck than anything chronic. During this training camp, he incorporated more running to make sure the first time he had to burst by a defender did not come in live action.

The workout plan with the Cowboys and his trainer, Luke Miller, was a major reason why he was able to start all 17 games. Some of his training camp snaps were limited and Prescott acknowledged as he gets older, "it's about being smarter."

"I think it's just the diligence and intentionality that we had in this offseason," Prescott said. "Obviously not making the playoffs, [we're] already making plans for how you're going to attack this offseason. [Last offseason] kinda gives us the blueprint of how we want to move about going into this offseason."

Off the field, Prescott hopes to have some influence in the Cowboys' approach. While he understands the final call will not be his, he wants to be more involved in the direction set forth by Jerry Jones, executive vice president Stephen Jones, vice president of player personnel Will McClay and Schottenheimer.

He has publicly lobbied for the returns of wide receiver George Pickens and running back Javonte Williams.

Prescott is under contract through 2028 as part of the record-setting extension he signed in 2024. The belief in his work gives him optimism that Year 11 will be far different than Year 10 when it comes to wins and losses, promising the Cowboys would not be in this position a year from now.

After Sunday's loss to the Giants, Prescott said he would take about a week off before physically getting ready for 2026. Mentally, he said he is already thinking about what needs to be done for him and for the team.

Asked what's ahead for him, personally, he had a quick answer.

"Greatness," he said. "I'll work every day and bust my ass in the gym, in the way that I take care of my body, throwing on the field, to do everything that I can. I don't expect any different than this past year and that's to be better than I was this year.

"I think over my career, the track record somewhat proves that. For me, it's just continuing to work. I don't know if there's many that work as hard as me or as intentional as me. And so I pride myself in that and I look forward to getting back to that here."