2025 NFL Draft Could Yield Cowboys Dak Prescott Replacement

One of the biggest storylines for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason has been the contract extension negotiations for quarterback Dak Prescott. Or, the lack of negotiations. As we move through the NFL offseason, the two sides seem content with how things currently are.

While Dak Prescott would like to remain with the Cowboys, and by all accounts they want him, a long-term deal has not been worked out. Set to hit free agency in 2025, there is a chance that the 2024 season will be the last of this partnership.

Could the Cowboys actually turn things over to Trey Lance? The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft hasn’t had much of an opportunity as a pro, but he is the only semblance of a long-term option the team currently has.

That is, unless they get lucky during the 2025 NFL Draft. In a recent 2025 NFL Mock draft done by Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network, Dallas addresses their quarterback issues. With the No. 24 overall pick, the Cowboys come away with Colorado star, Shedeur Sanders.

“There’s a reasonable outcome where Dak Prescott isn’t the Cowboys’ QB in 2025. Dallas could opt to roll with Trey Lance, but there could also be an opportunity to reset with a quarterback from the 2025 class. Shedeur Sanders — son of franchise star Deion Sanders — is an option.

“Heading into the year, Sanders grades out as a fringe top-100 prospect on my board, but he has the arm talent and accuracy to rise. Pocket management must be a major point of emphasis moving forward, but if he can clean that up, he can be a capable distributor.”

Based on the earliest of projections, it would be shocking to see Sanders last that long on the board. There are a few teams that may not see him as a culture fit, but skill-set-wise, he could easily be a top-10 pick.

With the 2025 draft class predicted to have less quarterback talent than the 2024 class, there is a chance a team desperate enough for a signal caller pull the trigger early. Unless the Cowboys make a move up the board or their season falls apart and they land near the top of the draft, Sanders seems like a pie-in-the-sky outcome next offseason.

But, he is the type of player Dallas could target if they do end up moving on from Dak Prescott after the 2024 campaign.