Tag: Dak Prescott

Broncos Wire podcast: Discussing wild QB options and top needs in the NFL draft

On the latest Broncos Wire podcast, Ryan O’Leary and Jon Heath list several wild QB options and then discuss Denver’s biggest draft needs.

The 2024 NFL draft is now just two weeks away, and it’s time for a new episode of the Broncos Wire podcast.

On this week’s episode, I joined Broncos Wire host Ryan O’Leary to discuss wild quarterback options and the team’s biggest draft needs (among other topics). You can listen to episode No. 107 below:

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
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Check out our notes from this week’s podcast below. 

Dak Prescott? 
  • The Cowboys aren’t giving Dak Prescott an extension, so he’s set to become a free agent in 2025. Should the Broncos go all in to sign him next year? Or trade for him now?
Even more wild QB options 
  • The Broncos passed on (or failed to sign) the veteran QBs that were available during free agency. A few weeks ago, Sean Payton said: “There are still a few possibilities relative to guys who are currently in this league or have played in this league” (emphasis added).
  • Realistically, Payton is probably talking about somebody boring like Ryan Tannehill. It wouldn’t be shocking if Denver adds a veteran after the draft.
NFL draft needs
  • QB: Obvious.
  • CB: Top prospect, or Riley Moss steps up, or sign vet after draft.
  • OLB: Need an elite pass rusher (Baron Browning oft-injured, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are more rotational types)
  • DL: Zach Allen/D.J. Jones/Malcolm Roach are good starting trio, but not much depth behind them.
  • ILB: Alex Singleton and Cody Barton are short-term answers. Jonas Griffith has potential. Denver needs an athletic long-term option.
  • OT: Really depends on if Garett Bolles is getting an extension.
  • TE: Doesn’t need to be a high priority, but depth is needed behind Adam Trautman, Greg Dulcich and Lucas Krull.
  • WR: Not a pressing need, but Courtland Sutton has 2 years on contract, Tim Patrick has one year left on deal and Josh Reynolds is 29.
  • RB: Again, not an immediate need, but Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine will become free agents in 2025.
New NFL rules 

Ryan and I will return next week with a final mock draft.

If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or on your podcast service of choice. Please consider giving the podcast a positive rating and review!

You can listen to every past episode below or at this link.

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Dallas Cowboys host former Alabama RB Jase McClellan for a pre-draft visit

Dallas Cowboys host former Alabama RB Jase McClellan for top 30 pre-draft visit

A lot of changes appear to be coming for the Dallas Cowboys organization in the next year or two. Franchise quarterback Dak Prescott seems to be on his way out of town after this upcoming season given the lack of contract extension talks. This comes after the departure of long-time RB Ezekiel Elliott a season ago and Tony Pollard this offseason. So, it might be the NFL’s worst-kept secret that Dallas is looking to retool.

With Trey Lance sitting as a backup already and Dak on the roster through the 2024 season, I doubt they make any big quarterback moves this year. However, with only Deuce Vaughn on the roster, it appears as if Dallas will be in the market for a running back. Between Elliot, Pollard and Vaughn, all were found in the draft, and I think that’s what the Cowboys will be doing again this year.

The Cowboys’ first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft will be at No. 24 overall. There have been strong rumors linking the Cowboys to Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson, however, it also appears as if they have been testing the waters for an RB. The Cowboys hosted former Alabama Crimson Tide RB [autotag]Jase McClellan[/autotag] for top 30 pre-draft visit this week. McClellan played his high school ball at Aledo, so I am sure it would be a dream come true for the Alabama bruiser.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Could Dak Prescott end up with the Giants in 2025?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter sees a potential scenario where the New York Giants could target QB Dak Prescott in free agency next year.

The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott could be headed for a parting of ways.

Despite a firm public commitment to Prescott, the Cowboys have failed to extend his current contract and appear poised to let things play out. If they do, the 30-year-old could become an unrestricted free agent next March.

In that scenario, ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes several quarterback-needy teams could pounce and snipe Prescott from the Cowboys.

Assuming they don’t select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, Schefter suggests the New York Giants could be one of those teams.

“Dak, to me, is a really good quarterback,” Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show last week. “So, if and when he becomes a free agent next year, Dallas may want him back but… there might be a quarterback-needy team — Giants, Commanders — who knows.

“We can go through the list right now. There will be no shortage of suitors for Dak Prescott as a true unrestricted free agent on the open market.”

If the Giants fail to draft a quarterback this year, which seems unlikely, they will be right back in the market for one 11 months from now. They’ll have an out in Daniel Jones’ contract and an opportunity to start fresh.

Could they then look to pair a successful veteran (see: Prescott) with a rookie quarterback? Perhaps. And now Schefter is pondering that very scenario out loud.

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Skip Bayless: I would take Baker Mayfield over Dak Prescott

Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless says he’d rather have Baker Mayfield than Dak Prescott as the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a gamble at quarterback last year, signing former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to a cheap one-year deal to compete with recent second-round pick Kyle Trask for the starting job.

Mayfield won that job easily, and proceeded to have the best season of his NFL career, earning a Pro Bowl berth and leading the Bucs to a third straight NFC South title and fourth consecutive playoff appearance. He put up better numbers and led the Bucs to more wins than Tom Brady in Tampa Bay the prior year.

The Bucs rewarded Mayfield with a new three-year contract extension and a massive raise, but he’s still one of the more affordable quality starters in the league.

In fact, Fox Sports talking head and die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan Skip Bayless recently said he’d rather have Mayfield at quarterback than Dak Prescott:

Prescott has put up impressive numbers throughout his tenure in Dallas, but has fallen short of postseason expectations, and heads into a contract year in 2024 without a new extension on the horizon.

It looks like the Cowboys might be looking for a new starting quarterback before the Bucs will.

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Cowboys willfully living in No Man’s Land with Prescott makes little sense

The Cowboys continue to talk in circles about Prescott and what they’ll do with his contract this offseason. | From @BenGrimaldi

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 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.

2024 projected win totals for each NFC East team

We’re looking at a ranking of all four NFC East teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 40 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.

Here’s where all four NFC East teams are projected to land.

Dak Prescott might be an option for the Broncos in 2025

Dak Prescott is not expected to get an extension from the Cowboys this offseason and he’s scheduled to become a free agent in 2025.

The Denver Broncos could not afford to pursue Kirk Cousins during free agency this year and while the team considered budget options like Sam Darnold, even his price tag proved to be too steep for Denver.

With the NFL draft now just under one month away, it’s looking like the Broncos might go into 2024 with Jarrett Stidham and a rookie as their top two quarterback options.

The best free agent options are already all off the board, and Denver has limited salary cap space remaining. The Broncos will be able to start fresh with a better cap situation in 2025, though, and a notable quarterback could be headed for unrestricted free agency next spring.

The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott are not expected to get an extension done this offseason, according to a report from NFL Network (via Cowboys Wire). Prescott, 30, is now entering the final year of his deal with no extension on deck.

Denver is projected to have more than $93 million in available cap space next year, so if Prescott becomes available, the team would be able to afford him. The veteran quarterback has completed 67% of his passes for 29,459 yards with 202 touchdowns against 74 interceptions through his first eight seasons in the NFL. Prescott has also rushed for 1,884 yards and 28 scores.

The list of quarterbacks scheduled to become free agents in 2025 also includes Jared Goff (29), Tua Tagovailoa (26) and Jordan Love (25). Goff and Love seem likely to get extensions from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, respectively, but Tagovailoa’s future with the Miami Dolphins is uncertain.

If the Broncos do not land a top quarterback in this year’s NFL draft, the team could swing big in free agency next spring. Prescott might end up being the most notable QB on the market in 2025, so his status in Dallas is worth watching in the coming months.

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Ranking all 32 teams by 2024 projected win totals

We’re looking at a ranking of all teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 45 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.

No deal coming for Cowboys, Dak Prescott: ‘We are where we are’

From @ToddBrock24f7: Owner Jerry Jones suggested Prescott will play out the last year of his contract; a report says there’s no sign a deal is coming this offseason.

As recently as a few weeks ago, it seemed obvious that a contract extension for Dak Prescott was the top priority for the Cowboys front office, with a gargantuan salary cap hit basically forcing the club to do a new deal that would lock in their quarterback beyond next season and lessen the financial impact for the organization in 2024.

A quick restructure in mid-March added two void years, converted a $5 million roster bonus to a signing bonus, and shaved off $4 million from the cap hit to bring it to $55.445 million. It also looked to be the just first bookkeeping step in the process of a larger extension this offseason.

Now it appears that may be the only step the two sides take.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Prescott and the Cowboys “have a mutual understanding of his contract situation,” with no further offer coming from the team.

“We are where we are,” Rapoport quoted owner Jerry Jones as saying. “We have our contract. We’re locked and loaded for this year.”

Prescott’s current deal binds last season’s MVP runner-up to the Cowboys for 2024 but not beyond.

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The Cowboys have already chosen to let several other big names depart in free agency this month, including longtime offensive tackle Tyron Smith, running back Tony Pollard and center Tyler Biadasz. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch retired because of medical reasons. And defensive coordinator Dan Quinn took the head coaching job in Washington and took several assistants with him.

Previously, it had been revealed that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and the rest of his coaching staff would be working 2024 in the final year of their contracts, essentially making the coming season a prove-it campaign for the staff.

That may end up being the case for their franchise quarterback as well, with 2025 potentially shaping up to be a massive rebuild in Dallas.

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$255M salary cap gives Cowboys new flexibility in Prescott negotiations

Prescott had leverage on multiple levels, including timing. The new cap takes some of that away and provides the Jones family with more comfortable chairs at the negotiation tables. Here’s how, from @KDDrummondNFL.

It’s now easier for the Dallas Cowboys to walk away from Dak Prescott. On Friday, the NFL released the figures for the 2024 salary cap, $255.4 million, steamrolling past previous projections. Originally the number was rumored to be between $240 million and $245 million. The actual number comes in $13 million above the median of that range and Stephen Jones has to be ecstatic.

Why? Because it keeps them from being strong armed in the Dak Prescott contract negotiations. Don’t get it twisted, Prescott still has like 80% of all of the leverage here, but blowing things up just became a little bit more palatable for the Jones family. Even if they do end up signing Prescott long-term, the extra room means they don’t have to resolve Prescott’s situation before addressing other needs. If nothing else, the additional cap space buys the Cowboys time.

Prescott currently sits with a $59.5 million cap hit that can be easily reduced in many ways. The most likely way is that the team works out an extension that makes him the highest paid player in league history, but reduces the 2024 impact on the cap. But now, with this extra $13 million in space they can play a little more hardball because it’s not as catastrophic to their offseason to not get space from Prescott’s deal.