Monday and Tuesday at The Star brought a wave of excitement and relief for Dallas Cowboys fans and the organization, thanks to the signing of 2023 All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136 million extension. This crucial move ended Lamb's holdout and secured one of the NFL's premier pass-catchers for the foreseeable future.
With Lamb's situation now resolved, the focus shifts to another essential piece of the Cowboys' offensive puzzle: quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott, who led the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns in 2023, is entering the final year of his contract in 2024. The urgency to solidify his future with the team is palpable. Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner, emphasized the importance of the upcoming season opener, but contract discussions remain a looming priority.
Contract Stakes and Negotiations
Prescott's current deal, which includes a no-franchise tag and a no-trade clause, puts him in a strong negotiating position. If an extension isn’t finalized, Prescott would hit the open market by March 2025, an outcome the Cowboys would like to avoid.
The financials are a critical aspect of negotiations. Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, and Jordan Love hold contracts averaging $55 million per annum, setting a high benchmark. The Cowboys have $39.6 million in effective cap space to work with in 2025 and a projected $160.1 million in cap space for 2026. Managing these finances under salary cap restrictions is a complex challenge, acknowledged by Jones, who stated, “You’ve always got to remind everybody that this is a zero-sum game. Any dollar one player gets is a dollar another one doesn’t get.”
Jones further elaborated on the intricacies of roster management: “If you can get the most and the best players out there for the least amount of the cap, you’re doing your very best job. Sometimes it’s worked out really well. Sometimes taking those risks will bite you.”
Team Dynamics and Priorities
Amid these negotiations, the focus remains on maintaining team cohesion. Lamb’s confidence in the process is evident: “You look at our numbers together, they're at the top of the charts. I have no doubt that they're going to get a deal done. We all know that I want Dak here. Jerry [Jones] wants Dak here, too, so let's just get this under control and kill the speculation and let's go win.”
Prescott, for his part, has shown a steady commitment to focusing on immediate goals. “We’re continuing to, first of all, put all of our focus on what’s coming up here in the next 10 days, two weeks. That game [Week 1 at the Cleveland Browns] takes priority over anything,” affirmed Jones. Prescott added, “There’ve been conversations back and forth, but for the most part, as y’all know, I let my agent [Todd France] handle that, especially as we get right here into training camp.”
The Road Ahead
The Cowboys face a complex puzzle in securing Prescott's future while managing their salary cap and retaining other key players. None of the current quarterbacks on the Cowboys roster, including Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, are under contract for 2025. This adds another layer of urgency to the Prescott negotiations. However, the optimistic tone from both sides suggests a resolution may be on the horizon.
Ultimately, as Prescott wisely noted, “The money and all that will take care of itself as it always has.” For now, the Cowboys' focus remains sharply on the upcoming challenges, starting with their critical season opener.
As always, the world of NFL contracts and negotiations remains a tightly woven fabric of strategy, talent, and financial wizardry. For the Cowboys, navigating this landscape with Dak Prescott at the helm will be crucial for their aspirations in the seasons to come.