CeeDee Lamb got his wish for a new contract, but Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is still set to play the 2024 campaign on the final year of his deal. Neither side has showed much urgency in completing an extension, and owner Jerry Jones seemed to acknowledge that a new contract was unlikely to be completed before Prescott and the Cowboys take the field for Week 1.
“We don’t need to get this done before the season,” Jones told Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS last week. “We just don’t need to get it done before the season. Because it’s in all of our interest, Dak and everybody, to have a great season. And as a matter of fact, that’s probably not realistic to think before the season. But my thought sitting right here is we’ll have Dak [as Cowboys quarterback in 2025 and beyond]. But all I’m gonna say is this: it’s not done yet.”
Logically, the Cowboys wouldn’t have invested so much money in a wideout without a plan to retain their franchise quarterback. While the two extensions may be mutually exclusive for the front office, Lamb’s new deal will probably have little impact on Prescott’s stance, and it’s seeming increasingly likely that the QB will play out the 2024 season on his current pact. While there’s a bit of risk from the Cowboys’ perspective to let this play out, but Jones still expressed optimism that Prescott will remain under center for 2025 and beyond.
“I think I am. I am,” Jones said of his confidence about an eventual Prescott extension. “But I understand completely. I understand our challenge. But confident is not a word for me here. I feel that I think that we can do it. We have not figured it out yet.”
With Prescott likely pushing for an average annual value of at least $55MM (and potentially north of $60MM), the organization will likely have to tighten the belt elsewhere on the roster. Jones is already preparing for the fallout from a Prescott extension, and the owner seemed to warn fans that a lucrative QB deal would mean concessions elsewhere on the roster.
“I’m looking at having less supporting cast around him than he’s had any time in his career,” Jones said. “He’s going to have to make up for that and some because we haven’t gotten to the games we want to be playing in. … And he’s going to have to do it in the future with less of a supporting cast. That’s what I’m fighting for. … What kind of supporting cast can we have around Dak? I know you understand that. Do our fans? Do our fans know that Dak is going to have less of a supporting cast than his career has allowed him to have up until now.”
Prescott is currently set to earn $34MM in cash this upcoming season. The organization could look to reduce his $55.13MM with an impending extension, although that would likely kick even more money down the road. The Cowboys front office clearly has to juggle multiple considerations as they navigate negotiations, and it sounds like they may just be willing to play out the 2024 campaign before biting the bullet.