The Texas Longhorns quarterback is already being touted as the Cowboys’ star of the future
It’s been another strange offseason in Dallas, where the Cowboys continue to subvert expectation and disappoint their legions of fans. After a brutally-disappointing 2024 season, the Cowboys opted to elevate offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the role of head coach — his first such posting — before watching longtime anchor Zack Martin choose retirement over playing one more season. In addition, owner Jerry Jones has refused to open up the checkbook in free agency, though he has signed off on a couple trades that might address Dallas’ issues with defensive depth.
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Hanging over everything is the looming extension deadline for star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who could feasibly leave the franchise this offseason if the Cowboys decide the All-Pro wants too much money. A Parsons trade would enrage the fanbase…but escalate talk that Dallas’ “real” plan is to hang around until it can draft Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, who plays a few hours away in Austin and is among the favorites to win next season’s Heisman Trophy.
However, there are a few reasons why visions of Manning donning the Cowboys’ famous “star” logo on his helmet are, at the very least, premature — and, at most, downright infeasible.
First, Manning has left every indication that he plans to use up his full NCAA eligibility at Texas. That means the 19-year-old would not enter the draft until 2027. It would tell offensive stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb — both of whom signed expensive new contracts last year — that they are burning at least one more year of their primes in order to “ensure” the Cowboys can be in a position to draft Prescott’s replacement behind center.
The Schottenheimer hiring was slammed around the NFL and especially in Dallas; but Jones has been insistent that a coach with a quarter-century of experience had deserved a shot at the top job. Schottenheimer’s elevation, combined with contract restructures and Jones’ willingness to engage in trade talks before the 2025 NFL Draft, is not a move that a tanking team makes.
But more than anything, Manning and his family — including former NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton — are playing it cool, just as they handled his recruitment out of high school. They have created an environment where Arch can concentrate on football and his education — and the phenom will have a lot on his plate in 2025, as the Longhorns have to bed in several new starters on offense amid championship hype.
