Fresh off a trying 7-9-1 season that elongated a three-decade long Super Bowl drought, the Dallas Cowboys aren't shying away from stoking a Lombardi Trophy fire.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer is on the record saying Dallas plans on being in Inglewood, California – site of Super Bowl LXI – in February of 2027.
His quarterback, Dak Prescott, isn't scared of setting high expectations, either. He embraces them, admitting winning a Super Bowl truly is the lone conquest that remains.
"Shoot yeah, that's what's left for me," Prescott told reporters on Friday. "And that's always been my mindset, you know. That's the one thing I truly love about the Cowboys organization and the fanbase is it's that or nothing.
"That's what being a competitor is, if that's not how you're wired, if that's not how you think, whether you're a fan, whether you're a player, whether you're a coach, then I think you're in the wrong business, and, honestly, I don't want you on my team. I love those expectations."
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Those expectations follow the Cowboys annually, but they've been unfulfilled since the 1995 season when the Dallas dynasty headlined by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin won its third Super Bowl in four years and the franchise's fifth overall.
Not only haven't the Cowboys won a Super Bowl since then, but they haven't advanced past the Divisional Round in that time span.
Currently, Dallas is on a two-season hiatus from the playoffs and hasn't won a postseason game since 2022 in the wild-card round.
Despite the recent struggles, Prescott answered in the affirmative that Super Bowl aspirations are more realistic in 2026.
"Absolutely," he said. "Obviously, each year you think that, but when you have last year as we did, the offense that we did, you make the changes and you've got a great defensive coordinator … yeah, and us understanding what needs to be done."
In 2025, the Cowboys were seventh in the league in scoring and second in yards offensively. However, the defense was a mess, finishing dead last in points allowed.
Prescott is of the belief that the offensive talent and chemistry will carry over and be complemented by the addition of Christian Parker as defensive coordinator and some fresh defensive additions.
That remains to be seen, but as training camp awaits, expectations are of the Super Bowl height.
Prescott's replies to reporters were follow-ups from comments he made on a live stream previously.
He said that he loved being a Cowboys player and loved Cowboys nation because it's "Super Bowl or bust."
Unfortunately, by that logic, Dallas has gone bust for 30 years. To the credit of its four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, those Lombardi hopes, dreams and expectations return at the dawn of every new season.