Latest Dak Prescott 'breaking news' doesn't really reveal much about Cowboys' plans at quarterback
The Dallas Cowboys' offseason keeps getting weirder and weirder. Not only have fans figured out Jerry Jones was lying when he claimed the team would go "all in," they've figured out it's likelier that the team will just blow it all up after the 2024 season. The latest report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport indicates […]
The Dallas Cowboys' offseason keeps getting weirder and weirder. Not only have fans figured out Jerry Jones was lying when he claimed the team would go "all in," they've figured out it's likelier that the team will just blow it all up after the 2024 season.
The latest report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport indicates that the Cowboys and Dak Prescott "have a mutual understanding of his contract situation, sources say, with no offers from Dallas despite him being in a contract year. (…) No indication a deal is coming."
Naturally, the report has caused everyone to draw all sorts of conclusions, including Rapoport himself, who added in a follow up tweet that the news cleared the path for Prescott to reach in 2025.
But let's pump the brakes and ask, what does the report even mean in the first place and what would we take from it?
Is Dak Prescott leaving the Cowboys in 2025?
It's possible but Rapoport's report doesn't necessarily mean it should be the expectation. The real news from the report is the fact that there's no offer on the table as of yet but that's pretty much where the story ends.
Jerry Jones had already said that they believed they didn't need to do a deal this year even though Prescott's contract expires after the 2024 season. But the front office remains open to working on an extension later in the year, particularly before the season.
What is true is that if a deal gets done, fans should expect Prescott to emerge as the winner of the negotiations. Think about how much leverage the quarterback has:
- Dak Prescott's contract has a no-tag, no-trade clause.
- Prescott would absolutely be paid a king's ransom if he hits the market in 2025, something that Kirk Cousins has helped make clear by consistently cashing in by being willing to reach the market. Even at 36 years old and coming off of an Achilles injury, Cousins signed an insanely lucrative deal with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in March.
- If the Cowboys were to let Dak walk in free agency, they'd need to carry $40 million in dead cap space for 2025.
My best guess? The Cowboys end up extending Prescott late in the summer but for that to happen they'll need to take an L in negotiations and hand him a blank check.
If Dak heads into the season without a new deal in place, however, it'll be pretty hard to envision him being a Cowboy beyond 2024 as the free agency market will likely present some huge opportunities.
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