Why Dak Prescott will have a massive impact on the 2025 NFL draft

There is no position in sports more important than quarterback. NFL teams are desperate to find one and keep them at all costs. There is no value that can be placed on a franchise passer. From the amount of money they are paid to the dash to draft them in the first round, the NFL is always willing to invest in the position.

The 2024 draft set records, with six quarterbacks selected in the top 12 picks. Teams are showing more than ever that if they need a QB, they will get aggressive in acquiring them. It does not always work out. Just ask the Broncos and Browns how well it went trading three first-round picks for Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson respectively. Whiffing on a quarterback in the first round is always damaging, but nowhere near as impactful as acquiring or paying a quarterback that does not deliver success. It is likely we will see this trend of drafting quarterbacks early continue.

Looking ahead to the 2025 offseason, there is a significant domino set to fall that will have major draft implications. Dak Prescott is entering the final year of his contract with the Cowboys. He has all the leverage in discussions and the general buzz seems to indicate that a deal is nowhere near complete. It is highly unlikely that he leaves Dallas, but don't dismiss the notion of him leaving right away. It is more complicated than a lot of other quarterback contract negotiations. Prescott has a no-trade clause and the Cowboys cannot franchise tag him.

Landing Prescott without having to give up any draft capital would be a massive move for any NFL team. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed. That was for a 36-year-old quarterback who is coming off a torn Achilles and has one career playoff win. Prescott will be roughly four years younger and will presumably be healthy, though he only has two career playoff wins. The amount of money he could command on the open market will be staggering, likely to challenge Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa for the most money paid out on an annual average.

If Prescott does hit the open market, he will have a number of suitors. The Raiders are likely at the top of the list. Having missed out on the rookie quarterback frenzy that occurred in the 2024 NFL draft, Las Vegas has Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell set to battle it out for the starting job. With Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, they have a decent group of pass-catchers, but desperately need improved quarterback play.

The Titans, Giants and Steelers could all be in the mix for Prescott as well. Will Levis is far from a proven commodity, New York explored moving up to draft Drake Maye to replace Daniel Jones, and Pittsburgh's duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are both out of a contract at the end of the year. Add in that the Rams and Jets could need to replace aging quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers and you could have a number of teams looking for quarterback help.

For teams like the Steelers, Jets and Rams, Prescott might be their best option at finding a new passer. Pittsburgh has not had a losing record under Mike Tomlin, New York is a playoff contender with Rodgers back under center, as are the Rams with Stafford. Every once in a while, a Jordan Love slips through to the end of the first round, but that prospect looks increasingly less likely these days.

Obviously, only one team can sign Prescott, but whichever team lands him is suddenly out of the quarterback conversation for the 2025 draft. Well, most likely, unless they go the Falcons route. The Cowboys would also enter the conversation to draft a quarterback next year as well. It could be a fresh start for the organization as well if Mike McCarthy is no longer the head coach. Dallas might not be in the best place to take a top quarterback prospect either. The Cowboys have won 12 games and reached the postseason each of the past three seasons. It is hard to imagine they will be picking inside the top 20.

This quarterback class projects to be fairly middle of the road. It does not appear to have the same star power as the 2024 draft class, but it should be much better than the 2022 class that featured Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral and Brock Purdy. My best guess is that this class will land a bit more like the 2023 draft, where three quarterbacks went in the top four, but we had to wait until the second round for another one to be selected.

By the time April rolls around, Carson Beck, Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Connor Weigman. Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe could all be considered first-round talents. It's also possible that only two of them wind up being first-round caliber. There is a long process ahead. Attempting to predict these things this far out is nearly impossible. However, there is no question that Prescott's pending contract situation will go a long way to determining which teams are going to be in the quarterback market. He will be the first domino to fall on the 2025 quarterback carousel.