Clarence Hill: Can Dak Prescott, the longest tenured QB in NFC, lead the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl?

Can Dak Prescott lead the Dallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl?

That burning question finally has an answer.

With Aaron Rodgers traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets and Tom Brady retired, albeit after being blown out by Prescott and the Cowboys in the playoffs last year, the answer is unequivocally yes.

There are no future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in his or any other quarterback’s path in the NFC.

Will he?

Now, that’s an different question and answer entirely. It dependent on factors beyond Prescott’s control.

Prescott understands that his career will be defined by that question because of the team he plays for and because of the legacy of champions and Hall of Famers who came before him — namely Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

“What I’m most proud of in my career is the fact of whatever success the team of the ‘70s had, and Roger had winning Super Bowls, with our ability to win three, that now is the bar,’’ Aikman said recently. “And Dak recognizes that.’’

“Dak has never cowered to the expectations of winning the Super Bowl,’’ Aikman said. “He’s taken that head on. He’s the only one I’ve heard since I’ve played that is really been that adamant about that being the standard for a Cowboys quarterback.’’

Time will tell if this is the year.

When it comes to listing possible Super Bowl quarterbacks in the NFC — and knowing full well that Matt Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles led their team’s to the Super Bowl the past two seasons, respectively, with Stafford hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in 2021 in his first season in Los Angeles after having no playoff wins through the first 12 seasons of his career — Prescott is as good a bet as any.

And keep in mind, this is no who’s who list of quarterbacks left to pick from in the NFC.

Including Hurts, Stafford and Prescott, the top remaining signal callers in the conference are Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals, Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints, Daniel Jones of the New York Giants, Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers and Justin Fields of the Detroit Lions.

More accurately put, this is the list of teams in the NFC who have decided on their quarterback for 2023.

Stafford is the most seasoned returning starter, but he is coming off an injury-plagued campaign and on a Rams team in full rebuild mold.

With Rodgers out of Green Bay, Prescott heads into his eighth season as Cowboys quarterback as the longest tenured starter with the same club.

That has to count for something..

Hurts is considered by many to best the best of the lot. He is coming off a breakout season in his third year in the league in which he finished second in MVP voting and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

But he now has the pressure of living up being the highest-paid player in NFL history, after signing a six-year extension two weeks ago that pays his $51 million annually in new money.

Reasonable minds would also agree that Prescott has had the superior career so far.

What set the Eagles apart last season, in addition to Hurts’ outstanding play, was the superior talent on the Eagles roster on both sides of the football. The Eagles offense ranked first in rushing in 2022 and the defense ranked first in the NFL in sacks and pass defense and second in yards.

That is going to be key for any quarterback in NFC in their quest for Super Bowl success.

The main reasons the 49ers reached the NFC title game last year and are considered a favorite to contend this season are because of their defense and their running game. The return of Purdy, a surprise rookie sensation in 2022, from injury is what could put them over the top.

But he is not the foundation for the success of a 49ers team that reached the NFC title game in 2021 with Jimmy Garopolla at quarterback.

Prescott’s contract, which has gone from second in the league in the NFL when he signed it 2021 to now tied for eighth at $40 million annually with Stafford and Jones, has many thinking he has to be the focal point to justify the investment.

That is only partly true.

If the Cowboys truly hope to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since they won their last title in 1995, they must strengthen the team around him.

That has been the primary objective with the moves team made in offseason and during the upcoming NFL Draft.

So can Prescott lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl?

Out of the NFC why not?