NFL Rumors: Dak Prescott, Cowboys Still Expected to Talk Contract After Playoff Loss

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 20, 2024

Perry Knotts/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott are still expected to negotiate over a contract extension, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport referenced Prescott’s sizable $59.5 million salary cap hit for 2024, which provides the Cowboys with a clear incentive to work out a new deal now.

Ian Rapoport @RapSheetFrom @NFLGameDay: A look at the #Cowboys decisions, past and future. pic.twitter.com/ODZOkv55m4

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had reported Monday the two sides “are expected to convene at some point and talk for a while.”

“The Cowboys know how hard it is to get a good quarterback and Prescott is largely considered a top-10 passer in this league,” Fowler said. “So, it would be mildly surprising if they moved on from him, but with that 2-5 playoff record, certainly that could be a negotiating point for Dallas that comes up over the coming months.”

In the immediate aftermath of Dallas’ 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round, Prescott came to the defense of head coach Mike McCarthy. He basically said he should be on the hot seat right there with McCarthy if that was where things stood on the coaching front.

Yahoo Sports @YahooSports”I understand the business … in that case it should be about me as well.”

Dak Prescott on Mike McCarthy potentially being on the hot seat 👀 pic.twitter.com/dZndpTaOQx

Team owner Jerry Jones decided to stick with McCarthy for at least one more year, rendering the point moot. There’s also the simple fact the Cowboys are for better or worse wedded to Prescott for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to his massive cap hit, the Cowboys have little choice but to give Prescott a new deal keeping him on the payroll beyond 2024 as well.

They’re on pace to be $11 million over the cap, so they need to free up a lot of cash in order to not only get into the black but also create enough flexibility to strengthen the roster. Lowering Prescott’s salary commitment helps to achieve that.

Dallas fans would be justifying in questioning whether the 30-year-old can be the guy to end the franchise’s interminable Super Bowl drought. For the third straight season, he laid an egg in a massive postseason game.

Unless the Cowboys are willing to shift to a transitional phase or a borderline rebuild, however, they simply don’t have a realistic path to making a quarterback change.