Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will see another specialist on Monday before deciding whether to undergo season-ending surgery on his injured hamstring, sources said.

People familiar with Prescott’s prognosis say surgery is the most likely outcome. But Prescott wants to play, sources say, and he is determined to exhaust all options before giving up on returning this season. He has been visiting doctors and having scans sent as the decision-making process continues.

NFL Network’s Jane Slater first reported last week that Prescott’s injury is a partial hamstring tendon avulsion, meaning the hamstring has been partially pulled off the bone. It’s a serious injury that team officials have publicly acknowledged will likely sideline Prescott for a month or more. And the team is inclined to be cautious with the NFL’s highest-paid player.

The team did not place Prescott on injured reserve on Saturday as expected. That leaves open the possibility of Prescott missing fewer than four games; it also means that if Prescott ends up on IR this week, he will now miss at least five games, with a return no sooner than December 15 against the Panthers.

The question at that point would be whether there is enough at stake for the Cowboys to bring Prescott back. They are 3-5 entering Sunday’s crucial home game against the Eagles, four games back in the win column from first-place Washington and three games behind the final NFC wild-card spot.

There is no doubt about Prescott’s future. He and the Cowboys agreed hours before the Sept. 8 opener to a record four-year, $240 million extension, including $231 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through 2028.

For now, they’re working with veteran backup Cooper Rush, who is expected to work with former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance backing him up against Philadelphia. They then host the Texans in a Monday night game on November 18, followed by a divisional game on the road in Washington and then another home game on Thanksgiving against the Giants.