Getty Image / Harry How
It’s been a tumultuous offseason for the Dallas Cowboys on the contract extension front, with a CeeDee Lamb holdout still linger over the heads of America’s Team. And, a potential extension for franchise quarterback Dak Prescott also looms as something that needs to get done before becomes an unrestricted free agent next year.
There’s some question on whether the Dallas Cowboys want to or should extend Dak Prescott to a big-money deal that other franchise quarterbacks are getting that would make it harder to extend star youngsters like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs. But, if Dak Prescott is to be believed, it seems like the teams are close to getting something done.
Dak Prescott was asked about the ongoing negotiations between him and Jerry and Stephen Jones On Thursday. He had this to say.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott with the latest on his contract situation: “Good conversations are going on, I will say that. … A lot of confidence (that something will get done).”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 15, 2024
If you’re a Dallas fan that thinks they should extend Dak Prescott, that sounds great. If you’re someone who thinks they shouldn’t, that’s not what you want to hear.
The decision is a little murky, to be honest. There’s no real argument against Prescott not being a top-twelve quarterback in the league statistically. In fact, he was nearly the MVP of the league last year, finishing behind winner Lamar Jackson in a down year for the MVP race.
But, there is still some concern that he isn’t a true difference-maker, and if you’re going to pay a quarterback the $50 million+ annually that is the going rate for good-but-not-elite quarterbacks right now, they need to have the ability to go on a heater and win a Super Bowl. Prescott, heading into his age 31 season, has not necessarily shown that ability, going 2-5 in seven playoff starts including a disastrous start last year against Green Bay that saw him throw two backbreaking pick-sixes.
With the extensions looming to arguably the best defensive player in the league in Micah Parsons, one of the best wide receivers in the league in CeeDee Lamb, and a playmaking corner like Trevon Diggs, would the Cowboys be better off letting Dak walk via a Franchise Tag and then a trade for a bunch of assets to potentially move up and get a rookie quarterback. The problem is that the 2025 NFL Draft class is not supposed to be a great one for quarterbacks, though things can certainly change in that respect the next few months.
Ultimately, this is a franchise that has a lot of big decisions that need to be made pretty quickly.