Getty Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys .
The Dallas Cowboys have some work to do when it comes to an extension for quarterback Dak Prescott to avoid being put in a tough situation.
Prescott is entering the third year of the four-year, $160 million extension he signed back in 2021. It would appear the Cowboys have some time to get something done but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk laid out why there’s pressure to get an extension with Prescott done sooner than later.
“The way it’s set up on the back end, there’s a lot of pressure on the Cowboys to get it done,” Florio said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Thursday, April 20. “He’s going to have all the leverage when that when next year rolls around. That’s why there’s some urgency to get it done this year.”
The Cowboys restructured Prescott’s deal this offseason, converting $29 million of salary into a signing bonus, significantly lowering his cap hit. But a big number is lurking next season, with Prescott set to make $29 million in salary and count $59.4 million against the cap.
“Once you get through 2023, he’s in a position where he can just say, ‘I’ll play my last year out and then there’s nothing you can do to force me to stay,'” Florio said. “You’ve got no leverage, no tool under the CBA to keep him from going to the market and letting the market determine his value.”
Cowboys, Prescott Have Been Transparent on Extention Talks
So here’s Dak Prescott on a possible contract extension he’s expecting.
No deal has been done yet with Prescott but the sides have talked publicly about it. Prescott — who was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 draft — was clear he doesn’t plan on playing for another team.
“I’m excited to be a Dallas Cowboy,” Prescott said in March, via NFL.com. “Always dreamed to be here. Now that I’m here, I don’t expect to play for any other team. Now it’s just about winning and now it’s about to get that done and just to hear the [support from the] front office. Looking forward to an extension. When that time comes, it will happen. I’m with Stephen (Jones), it may just happen overnight. When it happens, it happens. It will be great.”
Prescott is coming off a rough year, tying for the league-lead in interceptions despite missing five games. In all, he passed for 2,860 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Cowboys Want Dak Prescott as QB for Next Decade
The feeling of wanting to get something done with Prescott is mutual. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones recently expressed that he wants Prescott to be the team’s QB for the next decade.
“Dak is going to be our guy for, hopefully the next 10 years,” Jones said in February. “You say that’s a long time because he’s already played seven. But I think Dak will play that long because he takes care of himself, and he’s driven to be great. We fully expect him to be here for 10 years.”
Having a franchise quarterback in place for that amount of time would be a dream but the reality of the NFL is that things can shift in a hurry. If Prescott turns in another sub-par season, it might change the mindset about his future with Super Bowl expectations hanging heavily over Dallas.