Getty Dak Prescott will have new offensive weapons when the NFL season begins.
The Dallas Cowboys are likely to extend quarterback Dak Prescott, although there hasn’t been much movement on that front this offseason.
Prescott is coming off a year where he led the league in interceptions despite missing five games. However, at times he still looked like one of the top quarterbacks in the league, passing for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Cowboys finished the regular season 12-5 but were bounced in the Divisional Round by the San Francisco 49ers.
While an extension appears to be the best solution for both sides, no talks have taken place, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
No contract discussions have occurred between the sides yet, a person with knowledge of the situation between Prescott’s representatives and the team told The Dallas Morning News.
Prescott will account for a manageable $26.8 million against the cap this season but that number skyrockets to $59.4 million next season if a new deal is not reached.
Cowboys Made Feelings Clear on Dak Prescott This Offseason
There’s been some public discourse about Prescott being the quarterback who can get the Cowboys to the promised land, it’s clear the leadership in Dallas feels like he’s their guy.
“I’m very strong on Dak. We have, in my mind, a unique person, a unique football player, a unique quarterback,” Jerry Jones said from the Senior Bowl in February. “We have at times in these past three years, where we hadn’t had him, I like the way we have adjusted when we had to go without him. This whole thing reflects the upside that I feel in Dak. The fact that we’re doing this, [coach] Mike [McCarthy] calling the plays, this has everything to do with the positives around Dak. It’s building around Dak.”
Watkins is bullish on an extension getting done and Prescott being among the top-paid passers in the league.
“Prescott most likely won’t seek a lower salary to help the Cowboys from a financial standpoint. He’ll want a deal that’s within the market for a player of his stature. So Prescott’s average salary might increase beyond $45 million simply because of future earnings from other quarterbacks boosting the marketplace. … The Cowboys’ quarterback isn’t going anywhere, it’s just a matter of how much he’s going to get and how it affects the salary cap.”
Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy Eager to Work With Prescott on Turnovers
GettyDak Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys.
The turnovers were clearly Prescott’s big bugaboo last season. The Cowboys’ offense will look a little different next season with McCarthy calling plays and they’ve already started to work on Prescott’s interceptions.
“Definitely, we spent some time,” McCarthy said, via the team’s official website. “He was in for the captains workout (earlier this month). So he came up and spent about four hours with (quarterbacks coach) Scott (Tolzien) and I. And we went back and looked at his decision-making opportunities and the interceptions and potential interceptions and just talking through it.”
There’s also the fact that Prescott won’t have his reliable rock in the backfield in Ezekiel Elliott, who the Cowboys released in March. However, he’ll have a new pass-catcher in Brandin Cooks, who arrived this offseason via trade.