{"id":163601,"date":"2025-06-27T21:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T21:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/163601\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T21:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T21:46:11","slug":"is-2025-really-a-make-or-break-season-for-dak-prescott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/163601\/","title":{"rendered":"Is 2025 Really A Make-Or-Break Season For Dak Prescott?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are the expectations for Dak Prescott<\/a> this season?<\/p>\n

Broad question, sure. But when former quarterbacks<\/a> call this a make-or-break<\/a> year for Prescott, it\u2019s a question worth asking. What would it mean for him to \u201cmake\u201d this season? What exactly would \u201cbreak\u201d look like?<\/p>\n

The Cowboys\u2019 franchise quarterback is getting $231 million guaranteed. He has a no-tag clause, a no-trade clause, and a punitive dead cap hit that makes cutting him next year a nonstarter.<\/p>\n

And if \u201cmake\u201d means Super Bowl or bust? Good luck. This roster has top-end talent, but there are questions about depth, and the schedule is brutal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s talk about it. What would it take for Prescott to \u201cmake\u201d 2025? And if things go sideways, what kind of \u201cbreak\u201d are we talking about?<\/p>\n

Realistic Expectations For Dak Prescott In 2025
\nWhat Would It Mean For Dak Prescott To \u201cMake\u201d The 2025 Season?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with what \u201cmake\u201d actually means, because it won\u2019t be stats. Prescott has thrown for big yards and led the league in touchdown passes. He\u2019s already proven he can deliver regular-season production.<\/p>\n

But in Dallas, the real expectations for a quarterback are winning on the biggest stage. Prescott has reached the postseason four times, but the results have been underwhelming: a 2-5 overall record with three home losses<\/a>. So far, he hasn\u2019t been able to break through. No Super Bowl appearances. No NFC title games. Just heartbreak on repeat in January.<\/p>\n

At minimum, this team needs to reach the NFC Championship. But how realistic is that? Both NFC representatives from last year are in the Cowboys\u2019 division! The Eagles are still loaded, and the Commanders got better this offseason. Based on Dallas\u2019 current roster and schedule, a deep playoff run\u2014let alone a Super Bowl\u2014feels like a long shot.<\/p>\n

Could an MVP season change anything? Maybe, but probably not. If Prescott puts up huge numbers and leads this team to 12 or 13 wins, the season might be a win. But for Cowboys fans, it\u2019s about rings, and it\u2019s been 30 years since the last one. Short of a championship, the bar for \u201cmake\u201d remains unfairly high.<\/p>\n

So the truth is, 2025 will be a failure if the Cowboys don\u2019t reach the NFC Championship. Fair or not.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Nov 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) walk off the field after a loss against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Would \u201cBreak\u201d Look Like?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get this out of the way up front: Prescott isn\u2019t getting benched\u2014not on a $240 million contract. You\u2019re spending the money, you\u2019re playing the guy getting it. If you\u2019re expecting a dramatic soap opera ending, it won\u2019t come this season. Dallas can\u2019t just cut ties without eating a mountain of dead money<\/a>. Financially, they\u2019re tied together. For better or worse.<\/p>\n

But \u201cbreak\u201d doesn\u2019t have to mean benched or booted. It can mean the beginning of the end.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say the Cowboys stumble again. Whether that\u2019s another early playoff exit or a disappointing regular season. If that happens, the noise will crank up to 100. Even if the team can\u2019t move on this offseason, the conversation will shift to when they can.<\/p>\n

Would Dallas look to next year\u2019s draft to find Dak\u2019s replacement? Possibly. But unless the season completely implodes, they won\u2019t be drafting in the top ten.<\/p>\n

Could they explore a trade? Maybe. It would take Prescott waiving his no-trade clause, and that seems unlikely unless things sour fast. But a split isn\u2019t impossible if both sides feel a change is needed.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the locker room element. If the team starts to feel like it has hit a ceiling with Prescott, or if the new staff grows frustrated, trust can erode quickly. That\u2019s how long-term partnerships start to crack\u2014quietly, then all at once.<\/p>\n

So, what does \u201cbreak\u201d mean for this year? Probably nothing immediate. A fallout\u2014if one is coming\u2014probably isn\u2019t happening after this year. Regardless of what happens.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Not Make-Or-Break\u2026Yet<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to have a normal and honest conversation<\/a> about Prescott. And nobody cares.<\/p>\n

The pressure on Dak Prescott to deliver on expectations is crushing, but calling 2025 a make-or-break season oversimplifies things. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n

If the Cowboys finally break through to the NFC Championship\u2014or even the Super Bowl\u2014Prescott solidifies his place in Dallas. He becomes more than just empty stats. He becomes the guy who delivered Dallas back to glory. That\u2019s the \u201cmake.\u201d<\/p>\n

But if it\u2019s another flameout, even a statistically dominant season won\u2019t quiet the critics. The calls for change will grow louder, and while the front office can\u2019t move on from him right away, the gears will start turning. That\u2019s the \u201cbreak.\u201d<\/p>\n

2025 may not deliver a final verdict, but it will shape the conversation going forward. For Prescott, this season isn\u2019t do-or-die, but it might be the beginning of the end. Or maybe the start of something special.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What are the expectations for Dak Prescott this season? Broad question, sure. But when former quarterbacks call this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[26173,230,1370,229,257,2461,7,871,6,505],"class_list":{"0":"post-163601","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-2025-nfl-offseason","9":"tag-cowboys","10":"tag-dak-prescott","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-cowboys","13":"tag-dallascowboys","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-nfc-championship-game","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-super-bowl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}