The boot seen around the world won’t be a problem for the Dallas Cowboys, according to Dak Prescott.
It’s been roughly a week since Prescott broke the internet. While vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, the Cowboys’ starting quarterback was photographed wearing a walking boot.
“Sorry that it caused such a whirlwind,” Prescott joked.
Naturally, the photo caused a stir, not just on social media, but on TV and radio — virtually any platform where NFL discussion can be found.
Speaking from his annual football camp in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday, Prescott calmed concerns about the issue.
“Honestly, I’m getting older,” Prescott told reporters. “Same ankle that I snapped and had surgery on four years ago. So, a couple of hard days of training and you get a little sore. And then you go on a fishing trip and you want to protect it and make sure things don’t get worse.”
It might be over the top, but the reaction is (slightly) understandable, given that history. In addition to that devastating ankle injury back in 2020, Prescott strained his throwing shoulder during training camp in 2021. That was followed by a calf strain that cost him a game during the 2021 season. And in 2022, he missed four games after fracturing his thumb in a season-opening loss to Tampa Bay.
Most of those subsequent injuries weren’t major in nature, but it’s understandable if those memories are back-of-mind for those that follow Prescott and the Cowboys. And with the team reporting to training camp in just over two weeks, the fever pitch makes sense.
Even still, Prescott reiterated that there’s no cause for concern.
“Literally, it’s absolutely nothing,” he said. “People are reaching, trying to make things that they aren’t. I’m getting older and having to take care of my body and be smart. If I have to take precautions and lessen something by putting on a boot, I’ll do it.”
Why Dak Prescott will remain with the Cowboys after 2024 season
With that seemingly settled, Prescott was free to field questions on the other major issue swirling around him: his contract. The 30-year-old is set to begin his ninth NFL training camp on July 24, and he’ll turn 31 less than a week after that.
Whether Prescott signs a long-term extension before the start of the season is one of the biggest orders of business remaining this summer. If it doesn’t happen sometime in the next six weeks, Prescott could head into 2025 as one of the biggest free agents in NFL history.
Prescott hinted that there have been talks between the two sides, but — as usual — preferred to leave that for his representation.
“There’s been conversations back and forth,” he said. “But as y’all know, I’m going to let my agent do that, especially as we get right here into training camp.”
David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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