Jason Garrett Comments on Dak Prescott, Tony Romo's Future with Cowboys

Quarterback Dak Prescott led the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 record, the NFC East championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference after presumed starter Tony Romo suffered a back fracture in the preseason, but the rookie apparently didn't do enough to guarantee himself the starting job in 2017.

Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News reported Monday head coach Jason Garrett "wouldn't say 100 percent that Prescott" would be the starter in the immediate future.

"Don't want to get into those discussions," Garrett said, per Machota.

"We'll talk in detail of what Romo's situation is going forward," Garrett said, per Josh Clark of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.

On the surface that sounds as though Romo has a chance to be the Cowboys starter in 2017, but Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan suggested Garrett's decision to decline naming a starter at this point "is a bow to Romo, not an open-competition hint."

Romo will not be an unrestricted free agent until 2020, per Spotrac, but ESPN's Adam Schefter (via NFL on ESPN) reported "most people believe that Romo has played his last game with the Dallas Cowboys."

That left the door open for Romo to be traded. Garrett seemed to realize that when he said, "We certainly want the best for him, whether it's here or somewhere else," per Machota.

Garrett's comments came the day after Dallas lost 34-31 to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round.

Prescott threw one interception, but he finished with 302 yards and three touchdowns through the air and engineered multiple comeback efforts. Dallas fell behind 21-3 in the second quarter and was down 28-13 heading into the fourth, but Prescott nearly played the role of hero with two touchdown throws in the final quarter.

He also orchestrated a game-tying field-goal drive in the final minute, but Green Bay signal-caller Aaron Rodgers' brilliance set up Mason Crosby for a game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired.

Prescott earned a Pro Bowl nod for his incredible season, but Romo is a four-time Pro Bowler himself. He has seven seasons with more than 3,400 passing yards—and four with more than 4,000—and 248 touchdown passes. Romo also led the Cowboys to the playoffs four times after the franchise had reached the postseason just once in the six seasons before he became the full-time starter.

It is tempting to say a pocket passer with a strong arm like Romo would be the perfect fit alongside Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield because opposing defenses couldn't key on either one. Romo could beat them over the top if there were additional bodies in the box to stop Elliott, and vice versa.

Romo, however, is 36 years old. He appeared in only one game this season, throwing four passes. He also played just four games last season.

What's more, Prescott proved capable of standing in the pocket and leading the Cowboys even though he was thrown into the fire as a rookie. Posting 3,667 passing yards and 23 touchdown tosses with just four interceptions, he was one of the best signal-callers in the NFL in 2016.

While Romo has done enough in his career to be considered a Cowboys legend in the eyes of many, the future of the franchise appears set with Prescott and Elliott—even if Garrett wasn't quite ready to say so Monday.