Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott says he will welcome new teammate Trey Lance as he does “any teammate” after Dallas acquired the former third overall pick from San Francisco on Friday.
Speaking with reporters at AT&T Stadium following Dallas’ 31-16 preseason victory over the Raiders on Saturday, Prescott took an evenhanded tone when addressing the trade for the first time.
“Obviously, I understand it's a business. That's a first-round talent, and you're always trying to make your team better,” Prescott told reporters. “Hopefully he just makes us better.”
Lance was the third player taken in the 2021 draft, but had recently fallen to third on the quarterback depth chart in San Francisco. The 49ers indicated this week that they would explore various options with Lance, and ultimately settled on a trade for Dallas’ fourth round pick in the 2024 draft.
While the trade may have been surprising to some on Friday, Prescott doesn’t share that perspective.
“I'm not surprised by anything anymore. You've been in this league eight years, been on this team, it's hard to say that I was surprised, to be honest with you.”
Lance’s status as a recent top three pick raises natural questions about how it impacts Prescott’s future with the Cowboys. Prescott has two years remaining on the contract he signed with Dallas in the spring of 2021, and currently possesses a $59 million dollar cap number in 2025, which is viewed as unsustainable by the Cowboys.
Prescott shrugged off questions about the possibility of this trade being a play by the Cowboys front office for contract negotiation leverage.
“I’m going to leave those talks in the office where business is handled,” Prescott said, before adding there will “come a time” when those discussions will be held.
Prescott displayed a more stoic demeanor with the media on Saturday, particularly when discussing backup quarterback Will Grier.
The acquisition of Lance almost surely means the end of Grier’s time in Dallas. Grier has been with the Cowboys for the past two seasons.
“Honestly, right now, my heart and my mind’s with Will,” Prescott said, gesturing towards Grier’s locker. “(That) man just played his ass off. That's who Will is, that's who Will's been from the time that he's been here, and it was awesome that he got to go out there and put that performance on display, and I hope the rest of the league saw that and took notes.”
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