While the options have been laid out and nothing has changed in the last few months, the Dallas Cowboys continue to operate in no man’s land with their All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys don’t have a clear answer as to what they are going to do as the veteran careens towards 2025 free agency, but as the days pass it’s increasingly unlikely the team works out an extension with Prescott any time soon. The latest update from Jerry Jones doesn’t paint a pretty picture for those hoping for Prescott to stay in Dallas with an extension.
The #Cowboys and QB Dak Prescott have a mutual understanding of his contract situation, sources say, with no offers from Dallas despite him being in a contract year. Owner Jerry Jones said, “We are where we are, locked and loaded for this year.”
No indication a deal is coming. pic.twitter.com/JtW5lqHzSG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2024
The options for Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones are simple:
- Sign their franchise QB to an extension.
- Attempt to trade him, which would need Prescott’s approval.
- Let the 2024 season play out, allow Prescott to hit free agency in 2025, and then see what happens.
Despite the Cowboys’ brass saying they believe in Prescott numerous times over the past few years, and despite the QB saying he wants to stay in Dallas for the entirety of his career, there has been little movement on getting a new deal done.
The team claims they want him to stay and Prescott wants to remain with the Cowboys, so what’s so hard about getting a deal done? Make it make sense.
With the lack of quality quarterback play in the NFL, one would think the team wouldn’t want to gamble with their future and keep Prescott for years to come. That doesn’t appear to be the case. The Joneses continue to use the salary cap as an excuse, ignoring the fact an extension could open up space for this year’s cap and give the team some flexibility to add free agents.
Instead, Jerry Jones is asking Prescott to “win with less.” What sense does that make?
The Cowboys haven’t gotten over the hump with Prescott under center with the team employing the same free agency and team-building strategy since the QBs arrived apparently hasn’t entered his mind. How about helping the quarterback out.
Again, make it make sense.
Reading the tea leaves and it looks like the organization is preparing to move on from Prescott after this season, or at least allow him to test free agency next offseason. If that’s the case, and the Cowboys don’t want to pay Prescott now, it’s reasonable to assume they won’t want to pay him next year either.
If the organization doesn’t want to keep Prescott long-term, then they should explore trading him now, before the draft. The team could get maximum value from dealing him in April. Quarterback needy teams are willing to pay up for a good QB who is still in his prime and if Prescott OK’d the location, the Joneses could get their precious draft capital in return.
A trade would mean eating up Prescott’s dead cap money of over $66 million, but if the Cowboys are fine with getting his cap hit off the books after this season anyway, they should be willing to trade him if they can find the right deal.
The worst-case scenario is letting Prescott his free agency next offseason, where the Cowboys aren’t likely to match an offer. If the team isn’t willing to pay Prescott now, they aren’t going to like the price anymore next year when the cost goes up. It’s something the Joneses continuously fail to realize, the price on good players, especially quarterbacks, never goes down, it always goes up.
These are the same choices they’ve had since the team was blown out in the playoffs, yet nothing has happened. No major talks, no proposals on an extension, nothing. Just empty words about believing in a player they don’t feel the need to pay.
If they want to keep Prescott, they should be negotiating a new deal with him. Ditto for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. If they don’t want a future with their quarterback, move on and don’t wait for the 2026 third round compensation pick they’ll receive if he leaves in free agency.
Just do something. Make a decision, any decision, and stick to it. Anything is better than this dance they’re doing with their franchise player, where the Joneses talk in circles looking inept every time they speak.
In this offseason of misery, at least give the fans that, they deserve it. And so does Prescott.