One of the most interesting stories in the NFL when looking ahead to 2021 is that of Dak Prescott. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is overdue by this point for a new contract. He and the team couldn’t come to an agreement. Thus he’s playing this season on the franchise tag. That has people looking towards free agency next March.
Could the Cowboys let him test the market? That is hard to imagine but the possibility is there. This despite Prescott being on pace to throw for 6,336 yards this season. Owner Jerry Jones hasn’t helped matters, failing to make it clear whether he truly wants the quarterback to return or not. The negotiations would certainly seem to indicate he may not see Prescott being worthy of top tier money.
Thus speculation has remained strong on where the QB could end up if allowed to leave. After running the numbers, oddsmakers have established a list of favorite teams. The Chicago Bears are right near the top.
“Betonline.ag has set the odds at 7 to 1 that Prescott will throw passes for the Bears in 2021.
Only the Indianapolis Colts, at 6 to 1, are more likely according to the gambling site. The Los Angeles Chargers and curiously the Minnesota Vikings at 8-1 have the next best, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints at 9-1.”
Bears landing Dak Prescott would be a major challenge
It’s hardly a shock the Bears are high on that list. The team just got done benching Mitch Trubisky. So their quarterback prospects beyond 2020 are a total mystery. Nick Foles is the starter for the rest of this season. Beyond that, it’s hardly a guarantee. Will Matt Nagy wish to move forward with him or make a bold move to somebody else?
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If the Bears did want to go after Prescott, they’d have to clear some large hurdles. The biggest being money. With the salary cap projected to drop to $175 million in 2021, Chicago will have some tough financial decisions ahead. Over The Cap currently has them almost $5 million in the red next offseason. This means they’d have to make one or two significant moves just to get back under the cap.
How will they afford a massive contract for Prescott?
The only viable answer is immense sacrifices. Several of their most notable veteran players would likely have to be cut or traded. Here are some names in question.
- Kyle Fuller ($11 million)
- Akiem Hicks ($10.5 million)
- Jimmy Graham ($7 million)
- Charles Leno Jr. ($6.2 million)
- Bobby Massie ($5.4 million)
- Buster Skrine ($2.8 million)
Odds are several of those players would have to go in order to even start thinking about Prescott. To say nothing of the fact that the Bears have 30 pending free agents to address as well. Including star receiver Allen Robinson. It just feels like the team would have to make too many sacrifices to land Prescott.
Then again franchise quarterbacks can be worth it.
