There’s been little movement from the Dallas Cowboys on an extension for Dak Prescott, but the team is adamant that locking up their quarterback is still a “priority.”
Prescott is entering the final year of his contract and will count $55.4 million against the cap. A recent report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler portrayed the negotiations between Prescott and the Cowboys as “passive or even nonexistent.”
However, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said during an interview on Mad Dog Radio that getting an extension done with Prescott is a “priority.”
“(Franchise QB contracts), they just take time,” Jones said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Prescott will be 31 next season and is coming off a Pro Bowl year. Last season, he passed for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. The Cowboys feel Prescott can lead them to a Super Bowl.
“I mean, I totally think Dak can lead us to a championship. He does everything the right way. He’s certainly the leader of this football team,” Jones said. “He keeps everybody motivated in the offseason. He’s got everybody working out and doing all the things that it takes to put in the work to give yourself every opportunity to win a championship.
“We’re hanging around the rim. We’ve just gotta go up there and grab it, to use a basketball term, and dunk it in. We’re hanging around the rim. We just gotta get the job done.”
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Not Worried About Future
Prescott is not sweating his long-term future being in limbo. When asked about an extension, Prescott has said all the right things and is focused on the coming season.
“I’m not going to say I fear being here or not,” Prescott said in April during a charity event. “I don’t fear either situation, to be candid with you. I love this game and love to play and love to better myself as a player and my teammates around me. Right now it’s with the Dallas Cowboys. It’s where I want to be and that’s where I am and that’s the focus. And after this season we’ll see where we’re at and if the future holds that … and then if not, we’ll go from there.”
The Cowboys are at serious risk of losing Prescott if an extension isn’t reached. Dallas cannot use the franchise tag on him after this year. Prescott also has a no-trade clause.
Cowboys Say Salary Cap Prevented Derrick Henry Signing
Prescott is not the only player the Cowboys are considering an extension for. They’ll also have to get long-term deals done with LB Micah Parsons and WR CeeDee Lamb — franchise cornerstones in their own right.
Jones said having those contracts on the horizon prevented them from pursuing some notable free agents, including running back Derrick Henry. He went on to sign with the Baltimore Ravens.
“Our situation is just, you know, and no one ever wants to say it, but it’s salary cap, and we just didn’t have the money to allocate to that position in terms of where we were from a cap standpoint, knowing what we’re looking at with Dak [Prescott] and certainly Micah [Parsons] and CeeDee Lamb,” Jones said. “We just didn’t have those type of resources to allocate to that position or we probably would’ve already had it filled with Tony Pollard. We hated to lose Tony Pollard and had to lose Zeke [Elliott] the year before from a cap standpoint. And, you know, we just didn’t have the dollars to allocate to the running back position. And, certainly, looking to do it in a more efficient way in terms of how it complements the rest of our offensive roster.”
The running back position is still a significant question mark for Dallas. Elliott is back to bring some familiar, veteran leadership. However, he’s not the bell cow back he once was, and the Cowboys’ depth isn’t impressive. Joining Elliott in the backfield are Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, and Snoop Conner.
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