Getty The Cowboys have yet to begin contract talks with QB Dak Prescott.
It looks like the Dallas Cowboys still have some work to do when it comes to a new contract for their biggest star player.
According to team owner Jerry Jones, the Cowboys have yet to begin active contract negotiations with quarterback Dak Prescott. The news comes shortly after Dallas made it clear they would like to extend Prescott’s current contract, which runs through the 2024 season.
Via Clarence Hill Jr. of The Forth Worth Star-Telegram:
“Jerry Jones said the Cowboys are not engaged in active contract negotiations with Dak Prescott,” said Hill on Monday, March 27. “They theoretically would like do an extension but no talks have begun.”
Stephen Jones Reveals Cowboys’ Plan to Extend Dak Prescott
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones stated back in February that Dallas has a plan to ultimately extend Prescott’s contract.
Via ESPN’s Todd Archer:
“We’ve got to have a plan to ultimately extend Dak,” Jones said.
The comments came shortly after both Stephen and Jerry were vocal in their confidence in Prescott as the team’s franchise quarterback during Senior Bowl week in early February.
“Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones said there no loss of confidence in Dak Prescott,” Hill reported on Feb. 1. “Jerry Jones said Dak Prescott is the reason to be excited about the future. Stephen Jones said Dak Prescott could be the Cowboys QB for the next 10 years.”
While the Cowboys organization has given every indication that they plan on sticking with Prescott as the franchise quarterback moving forward — he’ll turn 30 years old this year — it’s worth noting that he’s coming off of a 15-INT season, the worst mark in the NFL last season.
Head coach Mike McCarthy recently revealed that Prescott, quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien and McCarthy himself have analyzed every one of Prescott’s interceptions from last season.
“Definitely, we spent some time,” said McCarthy, via the Cowboys’ 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.”
Furthermore, it doesn’t help Prescott’s case that through seven seasons as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, he’s never led Dallas past the divisional round of the playoffs.
Jerry Jones Sends Message to Dak Prescott
Durability has also been an issue in recent years, with Prescott missing five games last season and 11 games during the 2020 season due to injuries. Jones (Jerry) made it clear that Prescott needs to be “more available.”
“If you look at the last three years, he needs to be more available,” Jones said at the annual NFL owner’s meetings. “Everything we’re doing, and I feel good about this offensive line, should make him more available. And then we’re doing some things in the line, some technique and some philosophy there that will really help Dak out. I’d say to our fans, these adjustments that we’re making in our offense … you add it all up and you are going to see Dak at his very best.”
There’s little doubt that Prescott is one of the better quarterbacks in the league, having been named to two Pro Bowls while also throwing for 37 touchdowns as recently as last season. However, there may be some pause in potential contract negotiations due to Prescott’s rough season last year.
If Dallas falters this year and fails to have much playoff success for another season, it’s hard to envision the Cowboys being ready to break the bank for Prescott. While the Cowboys are leaning towards keeping Prescott around as the franchise quarterback, he definitely needs to lead Dallas past their glass ceiling as soon as this season.