Dak Prescott is still seeking playoff success going into his 10th season with the Cowboys

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Dak Prescott might be the physical embodiment of where the Dallas Cowboys stand as an organization in 2025. Both are rich, famous and desperately seeking postseason success.

Going into his 10th season as the Cowboys' quarterback, Prescott has been with the team for nearly one-third of its NFC-worst 29-season drought without a conference title game appearance. He is driven to end it this year, preferably culminating in a Super Bowl ring.

“If you don’t want to win a Super Bowl, or don’t think we can win a Super Bowl, then don’t come to Oxnard. You’re in the wrong place,” Prescott said Thursday. “We know the standard when you wear the star. We know the expectations.”

Prescott is looking to bounce back from a chaotic 2024, which included becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history following protracted and public contract negotiations before sustaining a season-ending hamstring tear in early November.

Back at full health and approaching his 32nd birthday on Tuesday, Prescott finds himself overseeing a much different offense under new coach Brian Schottenheimer than what Mike McCarthy ran the previous five seasons. Prescott is lining up under center more after primarily working out of the shotgun under McCarthy. There is more pre-snap motion and increased variety of personnel groupings.

Prescott likes the changes he has seen so far during the first week of training camp.

“You don’t know really when we’re going to motion, when we’re not, when we’re doing to hit you with something fast, so it’s just another great weapon,” Prescott said.

Even Prescott’s trademark “Here we go” cadence is being set aside at times, though Schottenheimer joked it is too ingrained in the public consciousness to be fully abandoned.

“I mean, why would we take it away when it’s got TikTok memes and stuff like that,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s one of the best things that he does, man, and so we’re going to let him do that. But like everything that we do, we’re going to be multiple.”

Another key asset is the return of Prescott’s mobility, which he has displayed by extending plays or scrambling.

“It’s been a long road to it,” Prescott said of his recovery after partially tearing his hamstring off the bone against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 3, requiring surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process. “It's something that I think about every time I step on that field, being thankful for this moment. Not taking anything for granted, and understanding that I've got to continue to push. It's one thing to be healthy, but how much better can I get now that I'm healthy, and that's on the forefront of my mind, so feels good.”

That injury and Prescott’s veteran status led Schottenheimer to say the quarterback’s workload in camp will be carefully managed to ensure he will be healthy for the regular season. However, Schottenheimer conceded it might be difficult to get Prescott to dial things back.

“He wants to do as much as possible. Luckily, we have the trump card with him on that,” Schottenheimer said, “But in all seriousness, there's a smart way to train.”

Even with the decrease in preseason snaps, Prescott’s desire to compete has not diminished, physically or mentally.

“It’s what I want from this game, and I know it’s what everyone wants in this locker room,” Prescott said. “Winning. Winning, winning, winning. And, obviously, if we give we everything we can, and you go at it, there’s a lot of good things and patches and pats on the back, I guess you could say, on the way.

“But that’s what’s on my mind, 10 (years) in and ready to play another 10. But I want that first and foremost now, and that is the urgency that I carry with just the love and the passion of this game is not only wanting to win for myself, but wanting to win for this organization. It’s been, well, damn long enough.”

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Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, left, talks with quarterback Dak Prescott as Prescott holds his daughter Margaret Jane after training camp Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker, left, is congratulated by quarterback Dak Prescott after catching a pass during training camp Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wipes his face during training camp Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, top, gestures as he stand behind center Brock Hoffman during training camp Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country for 40 years, had an early lead Friday in a tense presidential election marred by an internet shutdown, voting delays and opposition allegations of ballot stuffing and detentions by security forces.

Provisional results from half of the polling stations tallied so far showed Museveni with more than 70% of the vote while his main challenger Robert Kyagulanyi, the musician-turned-opposition leader best known as Bobi Wine, had 19%, according to the national electoral commission. Wine asked his supporters to “ignore fake results being announced.”

Activists protesting against the election results so far lit bonfires in the capital, Kampala, on Friday afternoon as the provisional results were being announced. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert urging its citizens to be cautious as security officers were "firing into the air to disperse gatherings".

The 81-year-old Museveni has served the third-longest tenure of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. The aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military, which is led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Wine, who is calling for political change, said he was unable to leave his house and that his polling agents in rural areas were abducted before the voting started, undermining his efforts to prevent alleged electoral offenses such as ballot stuffing.

Wine was hoping to end Museveni's four-decade rule in an election during which the military was deployed and heavy security was posted outside Wine's house near Kampala, the Ugandan capital, after the vote.

“He is a person of interest. He is a contestant,” police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told local broadcaster NBS, suggesting heavy security deployment around Wine’s home was for his own security.

Several people were killed and others were injured in a violent incident in central Uganda that involved supporters of two parliamentary candidates, Rusoke said. He said that more than 20 opposition supporters were arrested.

Rusoke also said police had dispersed a group of “rowdy and riotous youth” in Kawempe, an area of Kampala. Witnesses in Kawempe said they heard gunfire as police in the streets dispersed protesters disputing the victory of a rival parliamentary candidate.

The security forces were a constant presence throughout the election campaign, and Wine said authorities followed him and harassed his supporters, using tear gas against them. He campaigned in a flak jacket and helmet due to his security fears.

Wine wrote Thursday on X that a senior official in his party in charge of Uganda's western region had been arrested. He charged that there was “massive ballot stuffing everywhere.”

Rural Uganda, especially the western part of the country, is a ruling-party stronghold, and the opposition would be disadvantaged by not having polling agents present during vote counting.

To try to improve his chances of winning, Wine had urged his supporters to “protect the vote” by having witnesses document alleged offenses at polling stations, in addition to deploying official polling agents.

Wine faced similar setbacks when he first ran for president five years ago. Museveni took 58% of the vote, while Wine got 35%, according to official results then. Wine said at the time that the election had been rigged in favor of Museveni, who has spoken disparagingly of his rival.

Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling station, during the presidential election, in the capital, Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Election officials count ballots after the polls closed for the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

An election official holds up unmarked ballots during the vote count after polls closed for the presidential election, at a polling center in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A political representative speaks as he works to observe and verify the counting of ballots after polls closed in the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A supporter of leading opposition candidate Bobi Wine cheers while watching election officials count ballots, after polls closed at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)