Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Dak Prescott has played the Dallas Cowboys into the NFC East lead, inserting himself into the forefront of the MVP conversation, and it sounds like he will be rewarded handsomely this offseason for doing so.
Prescott will enter the final year of his current contract in 2024 while counting $59 million against the cap, which is a ripe environment for a new contract to keep him in a Cowboys uniform for the foreseeable future.
That is exactly what owner Jerry Jones has in mind.
“I’ve never thought that we wouldn’t be making a contract,” Jones said to the Dallas Morning News in December 12 story. “I think that’s the best way for me to say it. The idea of doing it or not doing it has not been on the table from my perspective period at any time here.”
Jones told the Morning News that a Prescott extension is inevitable.
Still, there is a built-in deadline for Prescott and the Cowboys to come to terms on a new deal. Prescott is due a $5 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year, in March, so it would make sense for the Cowboys to try to have a new contract signed by then.
However, it is undoubtable that Prescott’s price tag went up this season because of both his strong season and the contracts that have been signed by Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert and because of Joe Burrow‘s deal with the Cincinnati Bengals making him the highest-paid quarterback at $55 million.
After knocking off the Eagles in prime time, Prescott has passed for 3,505 yards with 28 touchdowns to only six interceptions this season.
“Don’t pay any attention to the discussion [of waiting too long],” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “It’s meaningless. The only thing that is factual here is what I decide and what we decide as a team and what Dak decides. We know exactly where we are on the contract, years left on the contract. And we should be — and are — about as close on that type of communication. … The timing on it remains to be seen.”
Jerry Jones Praises Mike McCarthy
Despite intermittent speculation that the Cowboys could look to move on from head coach Mike McCarthy, perhaps even replacing him with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, that doesn’t seem to be the direction Jones is heading.
“He’s the busiest man in Dallas, Texas,” Jones said of McCarthy on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan. “If you’re gonna call ’em, you gotta install ’em. He’s not only our coach but also our offensive play-caller. That makes for some cumbersome, long weeks. But he’s done an outstanding job.
“I don’t know when we’ve played better against a quality opponent since Mike’s been here than we did against the Eagles.”
Under McCarthy’s direction, the Cowboys have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games. It doesn’t sound as though McCarthy is any longer on the hot seat, even after some disappointing postseason finishes in recent years.
Cowboys Still Need Help to Win NFC East
Even after throttling the division rival Eagles, 33-13 in prime time, the Cowboys still don’t control their own destiny either for the NFC East championship or the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Dallas’ rough loss to the Arizona Cardinals earlier this season could come back to bite the Cowboys because the Eagles still hold the better conference record.
In order for the Cowboys to win the division, it begins with winning out against the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. But, the Cowboys would need the Eagles to lose at least one more game in the NFC.
Philadelphia still has to travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks on December 17 before finishing with a game against the Cardinals sandwiched between two contests against the New York Giants.
If the Cowboys win out, and the Eagles lose once, Dallas will win the division and host at least one game in the playoffs.