Can Dak Prescott break the conference curse?
The Dallas Cowboys are keen on securing a new contract for Dak Prescott as he approaches the final year of his substantial four-year, $160 million deal. Prescott, who was the runner-up for NFL MVP last year, has consistently been ranked as a top-10 quarterback in the league.
While Dak Prescott has yet to lead the team on a deep playoff run, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones remains confident in his abilities. Jones recently expressed his strong belief that Prescott can guide the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory.
However, history tells a different story. Some people are beginning to doubt if Prescott will ever make that breakthrough, especially in Dallas. Prescott has been with the Cowboys for eight seasons, and the team still hasn’t ended its conference championship drought, which dates back to 1995.
Here’s the significant detail: no quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl with the team that drafted them if they failed to start in a conference championship game within their first eight seasons.
Can Dak Prescott deliver Dallas Cowboys a Super Bowl?
There are five quarterbacks who have won Super Bowls after being drafted by a team but achieving that success with a different team. These quarterbacks include Joe Theismann, Jim Plunkett, Steve Young, Brad Johnson, and Matthew Stafford, all of whom found success elsewhere.
Conversely, there are 20 quarterbacks who did win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted them. Examining how many conference championship games they started within their first eight seasons, where Prescott is currently, reveals some interesting insights.
Patrick Mahomes, for example, started six conference championship games within his first eight seasons with the Chiefs and has won three Super Bowls. Tom Brady had five starts for the Patriots, Nick Foles and Peyton Manning had one each for the Eagles and Colts, respectively, and Russell Wilson had two for the Seahawks, among others.
As Prescott heads into his ninth season with the Cowboys without having played in a conference championship game, the historical precedent suggests that winning a Super Bowl with the Cowboys might be unlikely if this trend continues.
