The Cowboys restructuring Dak Prescott‘s contract this offseason gives their longtime quarterback some ammo. The reworking created a whopping $59.5MM Prescott cap number in 2024, the final year of his current deal. Already limited by the events of 2021 with Dak, the Cowboys have some work to do going forward.
Taking parts of three offseasons to agree to an extension, Prescott ended up playing his hand well. His price rose from 2019-21, and talks ended up coming down to the March 2021 deadline for teams to apply franchise tags. With Prescott having already been tagged in 2020, the 2021 number would have brought a cap sheet-clogging $37MM hit. As that deadline approached, the Cowboys hammered out a four-year, $160MM extension with the former Offensive Rookie of the Year. The fallout from that extension affects the team today.
Because the Cowboys applied a procedural tag on Prescott in 2021, it would be untenable for them to tag him a third time in 2025. While two years remain on Prescott’s deal, the 2024 cap number and the tag being out of play will equip him with considerable leverage. For now, however, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill notes the Cowboys and Dak have not linked up on extension talks. An extension would allow the team to reduce Prescott’s monster 2024 cap number.
The topic of a second Prescott extension surfaced this offseason, but the Cowboys had more pressing matters to address. They have taken care of those, giving Zack Martin a raise and adding more than $35MM guaranteed to end his holdout. They also extended Trevon Diggs, Terence Steele and Malik Hooker to prevent them from going into contract years. CeeDee Lamb looms as an extension priority as well, but he is signed through 2024. Micah Parsons certainly will be, too. The all-world pass rusher becomes extension-eligible in January but can be kept on his rookie deal through 2025 due to the fifth-year option the Cowboys will exercise by May.
Dallas also made a surprising trade for Trey Lance, with Hill adding Jerry Jones pulled the trigger without consulting Prescott or Mike McCarthy. Jones said the Lance trade did not come to pass because of a potential leverage ploy against Prescott, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota (subscription required), and added he wants the current starter in Dallas for a long time. Prescott, 30, declined to comment on prospective contract talks, via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins, adding he was not surprised by the Lance acquisition. The former No. 3 overall pick is not expected to play this season, with Hill adding Lance could compete with the recently re-signed Cooper Rush for that job in 2024. Rush is now on a two-year deal.
While Lance counts only $940K on Dallas’ cap sheet this year, that number spikes to $5.31MM in 2024. Prescott’s 2024 number will need to be addressed, as no player has entered a season with a cap hit higher than $45MM. The Browns are in the same boat, though theirs is a bit trickier due to Deshaun Watson‘s 2024-26 cap numbers (all at $63.97MM) part of a fully guaranteed contract. Two void years are on Prescott’s deal. It would cost the Cowboys $36.5MM were they to not extend Prescott before the start of the 2025 league year.
why not give an overpaid and overrated QB even more money? I’m a Cowboys fan but realize most of their players are way overrated just because they play for Dallas. They’ll never win a SB with Dak. Probably will never get there if Dak remains the QB
Are you high?
He might be high, but he’s also correct.
Nice to see a realistic Cowboys fan for a change.
If the Super Bowl was in October Dak would have 3 rings. The game speeds up quite a bit in January unfortunately Dak doesn’t
The most overpaid non elite QB I’ve ever seen. I like Dak too but dude isn’t elite and is overpaid. Can’t even take his squad to nfc championship
Daniel Jones…
Dak has been cultivating this rep for quite a few years….Jones just got paid this offseason…lets give the kid a chance to prove he’s overpaid and non-elite rather than just throwing him under the bus because your favorite guy Dak isn’t league top 10 for performance but sure is for paycheck!
How many seasons does Jones need to keep proving this?
I’m not a big Jones fan but he’s never had a healthy WR corps yet, nor a good one. Who’s the best WR Jones has ever thrown to? Richie James was the leading WR last year.
And this year’s group is the same as last year’s, with huge injury risks with Slayton and Shepard. Hopefully WanDale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt can produce but who knows? Waller should be a good addition and the O-Line is a little better.
The QB market is so shallow. Tom Brady has never been the highest paid QB at any given time. When I was in high school Stafford was the highest paid. At one point Derrick Car was top 6. What type of ___ is that
After reading that article headline I really feel cheated. Where are the profound and enlightening quotes Jerry is always so generous with? I don’t want to have to rely solely on Jim Irsay for all my giggles.
Huge season for Dak here.
Not on the final year but going into his final year.
No more Zeke and his influence on the team.
You’ve got WR options in Lamb, Gallup, Cooks and Tolbert. You’ve got a couple young solid TE’s aswell in Ferguson and Schoonmaker.
The o line is solid, you’ve been with Mike McCarthy for a few years now.
The team isn’t afriad to replace you, cause they just traded for Trey Lance and Cooper Rush wasn’t bad when he filled in for you either.
The defence is loaded with talent, Lawrence, Mazi Smith looks solid, Parsons is a beast, Dante Fowler can he return to his best? LVE, Diggs and Gilmore.
Eagles lost a few names this offseason, Commanders still suck and Giants are still average. Dak really needs to ball out this year. I’m expecting a 4500 yards, 30+ TDs kinda year
I like Dak as a person. Comes across as well put together & does the right stuff in life. But he’s an average QB.
Dak’s future with the Cowboys =
TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK….
Dakota still can’t win the big game when need to win! Why would Dallas pay more money to Dak?