Cowboys QB Dak Prescott cares not for legacy, says he has to win a Super Bowl ‘for my sanity’

For the Dallas Cowboys, the goal is the same every year: compete for a Super Bowl. However, “America’s Team” hasn’t been at the pinnacle since 1995, nor has it made a conference championship since that Super Bowl 30 victory. 

It’s no secret that quarterback Dak Prescott is important to a potential Super Bowl run. He is now the longest-tenured Cowboy and ranks top five in franchise history when it comes to wins (76), passing yards (31,437) and passing touchdowns (213). However, none of that will matter to Prescott if he doesn’t get a ring — for his own sanity.  

“I want to win a championship,” Prescott said, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The legacy, whatever comes after I finish playing, will take care of itself. I want to win a championship. Be damned if it’s just for my legacy or if it’s for this team. It’s for my personal being, for my sanity. The legacy will take care of itself.”

While Prescott has put together four double-digit win seasons and is the highest-paid player in NFL history thanks to the four-year, $240 million extension he signed last year, his 2-5 postseason record is tied for the worst by a quarterback in NFL history (min. five starts, per CBS Sports Research). And Prescott has zero conference championship starts in his nine seasons. No quarterback in NFL history has won a Super Bowl with the team that drafted them after making zero conference championship starts through nine seasons.

Prescott has experienced highs in the NFL, and he’s experienced his fair share of lows as well. The sixth-round pick out of Mississippi State came in as a rookie and threw 23 touchdowns compared to four interceptions as the Cowboys went 13-3 and secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and he finished second in MVP voting last season after becoming the first Cowboys quarterback to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns with 36. Prescott has also seen seasons cut short in tragic fashion, such as when he fractured his ankle in 2020 and suffered a partially torn hamstring in 2024. All of it will be worth it if he can one day hoist that Lombardi trophy.