Dak Prescott finds himself in a bizarre situation, at least to those on the outside. Prescott himself, though, is his usual unfazed self about the whole thing.
“I’m focused on the moment, on the now,” he told reporters Friday night at a charity event appearance in Dallas.
But the moment- the now- really is something of a head-scratcher.
On the one hand, Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL: the defending touchdowns leader, the longest-tenured starting signal-caller in the league, a Walter Payton Man of the Year, and last year’s runner-up for Most Valuable Player.
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On the other hand, in eight seasons filled with personal accolades, he has yet to get a mostly-talented Cowboys squad past the divisional round of the postseason, and the team is faced with the proposition of whether or not to offer him a monumentally expensive contract extension in exchange for what could be simply more of the same.
While the front office has claimed that re-signing Prescott to a long-term pact was an offseason priority, it hasn’t happened yet and doesn’t appear to be imminent.
And the longer that nothing happens, the more convinced most observers are that something is going on behind the scenes, that the organization has soured on No. 4 and is ready to let him play out his final year in 2024 and then part ways for a total reset for all parties involved in 2025.
But Prescott maintains that, no matter how uncertain it appears to be, he has no fears about his future.
“I’m not going to say I fear being here or not. I don’t fear either situation, to be candid with you. I love this game and love to play and love to better myself as a player and my teammates around me. Right now, it’s with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s where I want to be, and that’s where I am, and that’s the focus. After this season, we’ll see where we’re at and if the future holds that. If not, then we’ll go from there.”
It’s a striking admission that Prescott could become an ex-Cowboy.
Where these comments were made is of particular note. Prescott spoke with media at the Children’s Cancer Fund Gala, an event he co-chairs with three-time Cowboys Super Bowl champ Troy Aikman. The baton of that job was personally passed to him by Hall of Famer and franchise icon Roger Staubach. Appearing on the catwalk during the evening was his on-the-field predecessor, Tony Romo.
This is an exclusive gig for Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks. And only the best of the bunch, mind you, not just whoever happens to be playing under center at the time. Prescott’s casual allowance- while at the gala– that he could be wearing some other team’s uniform by the time next year’s gala rolls around is an absolutely massive deal.
So is an extension that some project would make him the league’s first-ever $60 million-per-year man. But Prescott stressed it’s not about hitting some arbitrary magic number or claiming the top spot on the money list.
“I’m not trying to be the highest-paid, necessarily. We’ll wait until negotiations begin. Obviously, I want to put this team in the best situation.”
The team, of course, also has major financial decisions to make with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons. Offensive lineman Tyler Smith will also be eligible for an extension before long. An increasingly large payday for Prescott will only make it more challenging to pay the other superstars on the roster when it’s their turn.
So now it’s up to the Joneses to decide if “the best situation” for Dallas is to lock Prescott in now, let 2024 unfold and then re-evaluate based on the results, or lay the groundwork for a long and slow goodbye.
Prescott hinted that he may already know which it is.
“I’ve talked to Jerry, so I understand where we are. Jerry’s mentioned the same, so there’s not any gray area in that sense,” Prescott said.
“We had a great conversation that put us aligned in where we are in moving forward– or where we are in this moment, I should say. We’ll address moving forward as that comes about.”
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So for now, and apparently for the foreseeable future, Prescott is having to prove himself once again, just as he did in 2020 when he played on the franchise tag. He came out that season on a record-setting pace before the horrific ankle injury that ended his season five weeks in. But he showed enough to earn a huge $160 million contract extension the following March.
Three years later, Prescott may well be gearing up for an encore performance. But where this one ultimately gets him is suddenly up for very real debate.
“I’m focused on here, right now, where I am,” he told reporters. “That’s always how I’ve been. Anytime you all have asked me, it’s always been about right now, getting better tomorrow. I’ve been in this situation before, so it’s okay. I’m fine in any situation or at any point betting on myself, playing this year out.”
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