Cowboys Rumors: Dak Prescott Contract Still in Plans, QB Seen as ‘Long-Term Answer’

Andrew PetersMarch 29, 2024

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Amid uncertainty surrounding quarterback Dak Prescott’s future with the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the team is going to try to re-sign Prescott after this season.

“I talked to somebody directly with the team who said that the notion that the Cowboys don’t want to re-sign Dak Prescott after this year is false,” Fowler said on NFL Live (3-minute mark). “They are going to try.”

Fowler noted that extending Prescott’s contract won’t be an easy task. The quarterback will make a base salary of $29 million in 2024 and the number will likely have to increase for the Cowboys to keep him around.

“Now can they find common ground on the contract when Prescott has unprecedented leverage here?” Fowler said. “The $60-plus million cap hit this year, dead money on the contract next year, it’s going to be hard for them to do, but I do expect them to try.”

Prescott has proven his worth and Fowler said he is the Cowboy’s “long-term answer.” Dallas has another option in Trey Lance, but it would like to keep Prescott under center after this season.

“They still see Prescott as their long-term answer,” Fowler said. “They have Trey Lance as a developmental quarterback right now, but all offseason signals are that they are going to try to re-sign their big three at some point—Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons.”

Last season, Prescott had the third-most passing yards in the league with 4,516 and led the NFL in passing touchdowns with 36. Per Spotrac, Prescott has a market value of $50.8 million per year, and that’s a number many teams would likely be willing to give him if the Cowboys don’t extend his contract.

If Dallas doesn’t reach a new contract agreement with Prescott by the start of the 2025 league year next March, he will count for at least $40.46 million against the salary cap without being on the roster, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Prescott isn’t the only big name Dallas will be looking to extend this season. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season, is entering the final year of his contract in 2024.

The Cowboys picked up a fifth-year option for linebacker Micah Parsons, keeping him around through the 2025 season, but Dallas will likely be looking to sign him to a long-term extension before then. Parsons had 64 tackles and 14 sacks in 2023.

The Cowboys are coming off a 12-5 season that ended with a disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. Dallas has been consistently solid over the past three years, but has failed to make the jump to compete for a Super Bowl. If the Cowboys can keep their stars around, a championship could be in their future.