Why Cowboys' Dak Prescott could be entering make-or-break year

In a series previewing all 32 teams in 32 days, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated speculated that Prescott's time in Dallas could end soon since he hasn't signed a contract extension and threw two interceptions in a 19-12 divisional-round loss to the 49ers.

"Prescott wasn't shown the door for the poor performance, but the pressure is high for him to finally get the Cowboys over the hump," wrote Manzano. "His current contract doesn't have guaranteed money past this year, and his cap number will balloon to $59.45M in 2024, according to OverTheCap."

Two years remain on Prescott's deal, so he and the Cowboys have time to renegotiate. Yet re-signing the 29-year-old is becoming a more expensive proposition. Per Spotrac, his market value is a four-year deal worth $43.9M annually, too much for a QB with a 2-4 record in the playoffs. Also, Prescott tied the league lead in interceptions last season, throwing 15 in 12 games, which doesn't help his case.

Perhaps Prescott realizes he needs a huge season to re-establish himself as the franchise centerpiece. So he promises the Cowboys can meet expectations and capitalize off consecutive 12-win seasons.

"It's the first time I feel like I can say consecutive seasons are building," Prescott recently said via Jon Machota of The Athletic. "Going back to 2021, we've been able to build. We built that year, and we can build again."

Prescott leading the Cowboys to a title isn't unrealistic. Per OddsChecker, Dallas has the sixth-best chance to win the Super Bowl. Nonetheless, Prescott must reduce his turnovers and lead the Cowboys on a deeper playoff run, or his clock in Dallas could start to dwindle.