The Cowboys have spent the last decade with Dak Prescott locked in as their franchise quarterback, and that stability is exactly why the latest trade chatter feels so strange.
Prescott is heading into his 11th season as Dallas’ unquestioned starter and remains the team’s all-time leading passer. So when rumors suddenly tied the Cowboys to a quarterback on the move, it raised eyebrows fast - especially because the name involved was Anthony Richardson, the former high draft pick the Colts seem eager to move on from.
Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, lost his starting job to Daniel Jones in training camp last year. His season then took another hit in Week 6, when he broke his eye socket in a freak pregame accident and missed the rest of the year.
Jones took over and, for a stretch, played the best football Indianapolis has seen since 2009 before tearing his Achilles. Even then, the Colts did not turn back to Richardson.
Instead, they committed to Jones on a two-year deal worth up to $100 million. Richardson has started only 15 games across three injury-heavy seasons, and he asked for a trade in February.
No one has stepped up to make that happen.
That’s the backdrop for Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon floating Dallas as a possible destination if Indianapolis eventually gives up on him.
"Potential landing spots include the Cardinals - especially if Jacoby Brissett's contract dispute boils over - the Jets, once they realize Geno Smith is not the guy, or the Steelers, Cowboys, or Panthers as a premium stash-away option for 2027," Gagnon wrote.
For now, though, it reads like little more than speculation. Dallas already has Sam Howell and Joe Milton III behind Prescott, so there’s no real need to go shopping for another backup quarterback. Taking on Richardson’s contract and trying to rebuild him would be a strange fit for a team that already has its depth chart in place.
Indianapolis, meanwhile, still hasn’t found a team willing to meet its price. Richardson remains on the roster, working out this summer and trying to win a backup job behind Jones. As for the Cowboys, the odds of them actually making this move look extremely slim.
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