The Minnesota Vikings made the best of a tough situation under center by drafting rookie QB J.J. McCarthy and signing free agent Sam Darnold this offseason, though each outcome fell short of ideal.

Minnesota is built to win now on offense with the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson approaching or having just entered their respective primes. That reality makes the Vikings an interesting candidate for a player like Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys a year from now should the limited contract extension talks between the two sides fall apart completely.

Prescott is entering the final season of a four-year, $160 million deal in 2024 and has a projected market value of $55.1 million annually.

Making a play for a big-name free agent isn’t commonplace one year after drafting a quarterback in the top 10, but opportunities to land a three-time Pro Bowler like Prescott who finished second in MVP voting last year are rare and demand drastic action. According to former NFL general manager and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum, the Vikings and the rest of the league will have that opportunity come next March.

“There’s a better chance, in my opinion, that Shedeur Sanders could be quarterback [for the Cowboys] next year than Dak Prescott at this point,” Tannenbaum said on the Friday, August 30 edition of “Get Up.”