Cowboys' Dak Prescott says his perspective on how long he'll play has changed: '40s would be a good number'

Dak Prescott is posting a career-high 71.3% completion percentage through five games this season despite leading the league in pass attempts. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is playing some of the best football of his 10-year career, which he doesn't intend to end anytime soon.

When Prescott was a rookie in 2016, Tom Brady was nearing his 40s, a decade in which Brady eventually flourished, adding two more Super Bowl rings to his collection.

At the time, Prescott was asked about playing that long, and he didn't commit to that kind of NFL marathon.

Now 32, Prescott fielded a question Thursday about those Brady conversations all those years ago, and if his perspective has changed.

"Forties would be a good number," Prescott said, when describing his quarterbacking shelf life.

"Obviously I've been through some injuries, played very physical in college. So if I can get to 40 playing at the standard that I want, yeah, that'd be awesome."

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He continued: "But to answer your question, yeah, it's definitely changed. I can see it more realistically now. And I think, as much as anything, just the fun and the peace that this game still gives me 10 years in is going to be hard [to walk away from]. I mean, you can't supplement it. So as long as I can do this at a level that I'm proud and happy with, I'll keep trying."

Prescott is signed with the Cowboys through 2028. He'll be 35 then.

Right now, his 2-2-1 Cowboys are fourth in the NFL with 30.2 points per game. They scored 40 in a tie with the Green Bay Packers.

With one more win, Prescott will break a tie with Tony Romo and move into third place for most wins by a quarterback in franchise history. Prescott, of course, unseated Romo as Dallas' QB1 when he was a burgeoning fourth-round draft pick nine years ago.

"[I've] never celebrated third place," Prescott said Thursday.

As for what's working so well this season, the former Mississippi State standout attributed his efficiency to all the work he's put into his three-time Pro Bowl career, his rapport with head coach Brian Schottenheimer and his offensive line and receivers.

"You can't do that if you're not getting protected the right way, and receivers are getting to the right spot," Prescott said, when asked about his surging completion rate.

"So that's everything just coming together honestly. And I want to be higher than that. I don't like any incompletions unless it's truly just a throwaway. So our standard is high, and we make sure we push it each and every day at practice, and it's just about going out there and continuing to raise it."