Latest Cowboys insider's report underlines huge question in Dak Prescott contract saga
The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott seem to be in no rush to sign a contract extension before the 2024 NFL season with both sides suggesting they're open to letting things play out as the MVP runner-up enters a contract year once again. Per a recent article on ESPN, the Cowboys and Dak haven't even […]
The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott seem to be in no rush to sign a contract extension before the 2024 NFL season with both sides suggesting they're open to letting things play out as the MVP runner-up enters a contract year once again.
Per a recent article on ESPN, the Cowboys and Dak haven't even begun having meaningful conversations, which supports an earlier report this offseason indicating no offer had been made to the quarterback as of yet.
An unsurprising yet noteworthy detail shared by Cowboys insider Todd Archer in the ESPN piece is the fact that while the Dallas front office appears to be in no rush, Prescott is also playing it cool and "has shown patience."
Team owner Jerry Jones might have been delighted to hear Prescott say during OTAs that he doesn't "play for money," but he knows the final price on an agreement will be significant, perhaps higher than the $55 million annually Joe Burrow makes as the league's highest-paid quarterback.
To date, there haven't been meaningful talks between the sides. While the Cowboys have been criticized for waiting to get a deal done, Prescott has shown patience. It worked for the signal-caller in 2021, when he signed his four-year, $160 million deal, and it could work again. Getting something done before the season starts would be preferable for the Cowboys, but the final deadline is early March. – Todd Archer, ESPN
That particular line about Prescott showing no hurry underlines one of the biggest questions about this whole saga: How convinced is Dak about sticking around the Cowboys for the long run?
Since his arrival in 2016, Prescott has been all about the Cowboys. But don't underestimate the overwhelming leverage he holds in this situation. We just witnessed a 36-year-old Kirk Cousins land a fully guaranteed deal with the Atlanta Falcons months removed from a serious Achilles injury.
Meanwhile, Prescott was a second-team All-Pro and MVP runner up in 2023 and will be 32 years old in 2025. Teams will be lining up for his services should he become available and he might just end up landing an offer from a team willing to truly go all-in on him and build him a super roster, unlike the Cowboys, whose biggest signing this free agency was Eric Kendricks for $3 million while they still haven't extended CeeDee Lamb nor Micah Parsons.
Prescott might've told reporters that he doesn't play for the money but did so within the context of him ignoring the outside noise while preparing for another year in the league.
The Cowboys have to get it through their heads, it's up to them to convince Prescott to stay and not the other way around. Specially as they continue to show a lack of willingness to spend on the roster like many other top contenders, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who have spent big chunks of money even though they recently signed Jalen Hurts a big-time deal.
It's the QB who was the leverage, not the team.
