NFL Exec Claims Cowboys Are Tanking to Keep QB Dak Prescott

Getty Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys do not yet have a contract extension for Dak Prescott and one NFL exec believes that’s all part of Jerry Jones’ plan. Prescott is coming off one of his best NFL seasons, but it appears as if the QB will play the 2024 season without a new deal.

In a recent article from The Athletic reporter Mike Sando, an anonymous NFL executive commented on the Cowboys’ situation.

“If the guy wants $60 million a year, you know what we are going to do instead?” the exec said. “We are going to have an average team, and you are going to play worse and we are going to get you at a better price.”

That’s a wild idea, but it may not be out of the realm of possibility. The ownership may feel that this roster with Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy may not be serious contenders for a Super Bowl ring in 2024.

After the embarrassing playoff exit to the Green Bay Packers, they may have a reason for that. However, purposefully rolling into the last year of a franchise QB’s quarterback just to be “mediocre” and get him on a better deal still feels like putting the cart before the horse.

Latest on Dak Prescott Contract Negotiations

Any hope for a near-future extension took a major blow towards the end of March, as NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport updated fans on the negotiations. Essentially, Dallas hasn’t offered a new deal but both sides “understand” each other.

“The Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have a mutual understanding,” Rapoport wrote on X. “Of his contract situation, sources say, with no offers from Dallas despite him being in a contract year. Owner Jerry Jones said, ‘We are where we are, locked and loaded for this year.”

Considering that Prescott has a no-tag and no-trade clause in his contract, it puts the Cowboys in a precarious position. Not extending him before next offseason means the longtime Cowboys QB has full power to go anywhere.

On the other hand, Dallas can see how Prescott does. And if the two sides are “understanding,” then there should be some flexibility and comfort in their negotiations this regular season or next offseason.

Cowboys Predicted to Trade Trey Lance

Prescott’s future in Dallas is a major talking point, but so is the future of backup QB Trey Lance. The former No. 3 overall pick is set to enter his second season in Dallas after being traded by the San Francisco 49ers, but he is now being predicted to move again.

Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine suggested a trade to the Packers, which would net the Cowboys a fourth-round pick in return.

“It’s at least worth it for the Packers to give the Cowboys a call. At worst, Lance plays out the final year of his contract and leaves in 2025. At best, he shows improvement and either becomes the long-term backup or brings back an even higher pick in a trade down the road,” Ballentine wrote.

It’s always important to have a backup, but it’s hard seeing Lance giving Packers QB Jordan Love a run for the starting gig.