Shortly after the Dallas Cowboys’ elimination from the playoffs, some wondered if Dak Prescott’s days were numbered with America’s Team. It doesn’t help that he’s entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2024 season.
Still, moving on from the QB who just led the highest-scoring offense in the NFL? That seems asinine, right?
It turns out, Prescott signing a new contract with the Cowboys may not be as guaranteed as one might think.
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Dallas Cowboys might not negotiate Dak Prescott contract this offseason
The Dallas Cowboys could capture up to $18.5 million in cap space if they simply restructured Dak Prescott’s contract this offseason. Another way they could get cap relief is by negotiating a new contract with their 3x Pro Bowl QB. However, the Cowboys might not choose either option this offseason, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
“I am not as convinced as a lot of people seem to be that a Dak Prescott extension in Dallas is a sure thing. His current 2024 cap number is $59.455 million, which is massive, and obviously an extension is the best way to reduce it. But Prescott has a large amount of leverage here, too, with one year left on his deal and a clause in his contract that prohibits the team from franchising him. Plus, he has never made things easy on the Cowboys when they’ve gone to him to talk new deals in the past.
If they can’t make headway in negotiations, the Cowboys could save about $18.5 million in cap space simply by converting Prescott’s 2024 salary into a signing bonus and doing so without adding any more void years to the three that are already on the deal (2025-27). The problem with that? It would result in the Cowboys carrying a cap charge of roughly $55 million for Prescott in 2025, when in this hypothetical scenario he could be playing for a different team.”
ESPN’s NFL insider Dan Graziano on Dak Prescott
For Prescott, waiting until next offseason could net him a much larger contract, depending on how well he plays again. That’s only one of the reasons why it makes more sense for the Cowboys to work out an extension with their star QB now, but so far both sides seem content with letting things play out, we’ll see if that changes any time soon.
