The NFL season is barely a third over, but already two of its most talented quarterbacks are mired in disappointment. The Los Angeles Chargers are winless at 0-6, while the Dallas Cowboys sit at 2-4 and look nothing like the contender they expected to be. Both teams have elite signal-callers—Justin Herbert and Dak Prescott—yet neither has found sustained postseason success. That has former NFL star Boomer Esiason thinking outside the box.
During his Kickoff with Boomer and Valenti show this week, Esiason floated a tantalizing hypothetical: what if the Cowboys and Chargers simply swapped quarterbacks? “Could you see Justin Herbert wearing a Dallas Cowboys uniform? Let’s just fantasize about that for a second,” he said. “I mean, Justin Herbert goes to the Cowboys, and Dak Prescott goes to the Chargers, that would be amazing. That would be great for the NFL, great for football.”
Esiason acknowledged the practical hurdles—both players likely have no-trade clauses—but he believes the appeal of a fresh start could be irresistible. “Maybe both of the guys are sick and tired of where they are, by the time we get to the end of the season. I think that would be a dream scenario for all of us who cover the NFL,” he added, though he conceded, “I don’t know that would help, and I don’t think Dak is going anywhere.”
The numbers tell a story of unfulfilled promise. Herbert, 28, has thrown for over 3,000 yards in each of his first four seasons but has just one playoff appearance and no wins. Prescott, 33, has a better résumé—three playoff berths and two division titles—but his lone postseason win came in 2022. Both have been criticized for failing to elevate their teams in big moments.
The Chargers’ 0-6 start has all but ended their playoff hopes, and whispers of a rebuild are growing. Meanwhile, the Cowboys remain the betting favorite to win the NFC East despite their mediocre record, but Prescott knows the margin for error is gone. “We can only say we’ve got a lot of games in front of us for so long. Might be already past us, right? We’ve got to go win,” he said, via ESPN. “You’ve got to go win. You want to give yourself a chance to be a winning team, to be a playoff team. You got to win as many games as you can, and when you drop two games—in particular games that we didn’t expect to drop—it makes it that much harder. So urgent, urgent to get it done now.”
The Cowboys get a chance to right the ship on Monday night when they host the Philadelphia Eagles. That game could be a turning point, but it also might be the stage for more trade speculation. With the trade deadline approaching, Dallas has already been linked to several moves, including a potential deal for George Pickens. And if the losing continues, the pressure on Prescott—and the temptation to make a bold move—will only intensify.
For now, the trade remains a fantasy, but Esiason’s idea has sparked plenty of debate. Could a change of scenery unlock the best in both quarterbacks? Or would it just be shuffling deck chairs on two sinking ships? One thing is certain: the NFL would be buzzing if it ever happened.
