FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboys must have a plan, right?

After talk early in the offseason about being “all-in” for 2024, the team has been noticeably quiet thus far as we approach the NFL Draft. Now, with all the discussion surrounding what the Cowboys have NOT done so far, talk of a trade of quarterback Dak Prescott surfaces – leading to confusion in Cowboys Nation.

Prescott enters 2024 without a contract beyond this season. That causes concern among Dak fans about his future in Dallas. But NFL analyst/schlock jock Craig Carton discussed an unverifiable rumor of a trade of Prescott to the Las Vegas Raiders.

“Well, there’s smoke in the air out of Dallas … there are starting to be rumors down there on Dallas sports talk radio that Dak Prescott is going to be traded. And the storyline, and I want to be clear, it’s unconfirmed, there are talks that the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders have had some conversations in which the Raiders would send four picks and maybe Gardner Minshew to Dallas to get the expiring contract of Dak Prescott. ”

Is there any truth to this? Carton (as usual) has it wrong. A USA Today piece speculated about what Dallas could get in a fantasy trade. That’s it. (We address the concept here in “What Could Dallas Really Get for Dak?”) It is not a “Dallas sports-radio rumor” … though we suppose a show host might’ve mentioned the USA Today piece.

By the way, that goes for the “Dak to New England” rumor, too; it’s just a media idea.

There is no “smoke in the air” outside of the speculation – rooted in Dallas’ inactivity and indecision – that maybe Dallas would be better off trading Dak than losing him as a 2025 free agent.

If the Cowboys are at all unsure about Prescott’s long-term fit in Dallas – and they obviously are – his trade value probably won’t be higher than it is right now. Would teams in need of a starting quarterback be willing to overpay in a negotiating battle for Prescott’s services? If the Cowboys ever really make an effort to explore that, we’ll let Cowboys Nation know.