Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will turn 33 this summer as he prepares for a 2026 season after back-to-back losing campaigns.
Dak Prescott began the 2025 season stating he wouldn't be opposed to stretching his NFL career past his 40th birthday. Legends Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are among the recent examples of those to find success that deep into their careers.
"Forties would be a good number," Prescott said back in October. "Obviously, I've been through some injuries, played very physical in college, so if I can get to 40 playing at the standard that I want, yeah, that would be awesome."
The Dallas Cowboys' franchise quarterback will turn 33 this summer, and while he earned his fourth Pro Bowl in 2025 as a top-five passer throughout the season, he's tasked with rebounding from back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in his career.
Adding to the toll on Prescott is his concerning injury risk and the fact that he attempted a career-high 600 pass attempts this season for new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Missing from Prescott's hardware collection is a trophy that's grown to look more like an ancient relic over anything else within the walls of The Star: the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Let alone win a Super Bowl, Dallas hasn't made one since 1996, which is the furthest back of any NFC team.
So ... is Prescott "too old" to guide "America's Team" back to the promise land?
History says no. Nine quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl over the age of 34, with the most recent being Matthew Stafford in 2021. Peyton Manning won one while older than 40, and Brady won two. Even Cowboys great Roger Staubach is the only QB in history to win a Super Bowl at 35 years of age.
The game continues to evolve since the The Captain's day, but Prescott is right. If he can sustain this level of play - where he threw for over 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in a full season following season-ending hamstring surgery - then there's no reason to doubt that he can lead the Cowboys' offense and compete. He gives himself the best chance with another half decade-plus of elite play as he still pursues "firsts" in the postseason.
Drew Brees didn't win his first and only Super Bowl until 31. Steve Young was 33 when he hoisted the Lombardi for the first time and John Elway slugged until 37 before he won two in a row to close out a Hall of Fame career.
There's an even larger sample of quarterbacks to at least appear as the starting quarterback in the Super Bowl at that age. Simply that would be a win for Prescott's career and the Cowboys' recent history.
So, it's possible, and the facts support that.
One person that's in favor of this outlook is team owner and general manager Jerry Jones as he actively searches for the team's next defensive coordinator this week.
In his season-ending press conference, Jones, 83, vowed to only retire from his post if he is the winningest owner in Super Bowls. His three are halfway to the Robert Kraft's six with the Patriots.
The fiction? Whether or not Jerry can build a team competent enough to help Prescott get it done.
Regardless of how old he is.
