DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has Super Bowl LXI on his mind often enough that he doesn’t leave it to memory.
Prescott said Friday on the “Up & Adams Show” with Kay Adams that he has alarms set on his phone labeled “Super Bowl LXI.” They go off at different points in the day, giving him another reminder of where he wants Dallas’ season to end.
“They just say ‘Super Bowl LXI,'” Prescott said of the messages. “At different times, [they say] different things. Just, as much as you can see it, as much as you can remind yourself, not that I don’t think [about the Super Bowl] honestly every second of the day — ‘What can I do to get better? What can I do to help this team?’ It just helps with the energy.”
Prescott brought another Super Bowl reminder with him to Oxnard. He arrived for training camp wearing a Cowboys Super Bowl champions shirt that he said had been sitting in his closet for years.
The quarterback is entering his 11th NFL season, all with Dallas, still looking for his first trip to the Super Bowl. Prescott threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while starting all 17 games in 2025. The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
Dallas had few problems moving the ball last season. Stopping opponents was another matter. The Cowboys allowed an NFL-worst 30.1 points per game, leading to another change at defensive coordinator. Christian Parker was hired in January and inherited a unit that looks much different heading into 2026.
A Shared Message Inside The Dallas Cowboys’ Huddle
Prescott isn’t the only Cowboy talking about where the season could end.
He pointed to Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary, three veterans on Dallas’ rebuilt defensive front, as players who have started using the same language when the team breaks the huddle.
“Just the words, seeing it, putting it up, whether it’s the alarm clocks or [other] different times for myself,” Prescott explained. “It’s not only me, we break down the huddle and to hear guys like Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, to hear them speak about it, to hear them break the team down and use those words, it just lets you know that I’m not just trying to manifest it myself. It’s an energy about what the players feel, an energy about the organization.”
Williams arrived first. Dallas acquired him from the New York Jets at the Nov. 4 trade deadline, sending defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick to New York. Williams played seven games for the Cowboys after the trade and finished the season with 2.5 sacks in 15 games between the two teams. He was the only Dallas defensive player to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl.
The Cowboys made their investment in Williams even larger this week. He agreed to a three-year, $105.9 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2030.
Clark has been in Dallas since the Micah Parsons trade on Aug. 28, 2025. The Cowboys sent Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Clark started every game last season, finishing with 36 tackles and three sacks.
Then came Gary. Dallas went back to Green Bay in March and acquired the veteran pass rusher for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Gary recorded 7.5 sacks last season and has 46.5 in his career. The 2024 Pro Bowl selection had spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Packers.
All three are now part of the defense Prescott hears talking about the same destination he has programmed into his phone.
Jerry Jones Has His Own Version Of It
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones appeared on the same show and said he sees value in Prescott’s habit. Jones doesn’t use phone alarms. His version is writing down what he is chasing instead of leaving the thought in his head.
“I do a lot of noodling,” Jones said. “And I noodle thousands of noodles. And I do those noodles not to necessarily read it back, but just to write it down rather than think it, my dreams or where I’m trying to accomplish. That’s reinforcing what you think is a positive direction for you. He’s the epitome of that and practices that.”
The Cowboys get their first preseason look Saturday against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, with the game available on CBS locally and NFL+.
Prescott has not taken a preseason snap since 2019. Dallas travels to face the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22 before returning home for its preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 28.
The date Prescott keeps seeing on his phone is Feb. 14, 2027. That’s when Super Bowl LXI will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
