Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are both entering contract years, standing on the doorstep of NFL free agency. While NFL rumors have made it evident that Lamb will likely remain in Dallas long-term, the same can’t be said for Prescott.
Negotiations between the Cowboys front office and Lamamb are going well. While the All-Pro wideout is still staying away from the team, the belief is the two sides are fairly close to a deal. While the guaranteed money still needs to be worked out, Lamb’s extension will make him one of the highest-paid NFL players.
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- Dak Prescott contract (Spotrac):Â $55.455 million cap hit in 2024, NFL free agent in 2025
Talks with Prescott haven’t been remotely as productive. The two sides have seemingly made minimal progress on a long-term deal and there’s reason to believe Prescott won’t negotiate once the regular season begins. If that happens, Dallas will only have a few weeks in 2205 to negotiate before he can hit the open market.
Part of the problem for the Cowboys is that Prescott’s last negotiations gave him all the leverage this time around. Dallas can’t use the franchise tag on him in 2025 and if he leaves in free agency, the club is still on the hook for a $40-plus million dead cap hit. There also appears to be a real chance he does walk.
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On the latest Scoop City podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic explained that she ‘absolutely’ believes there’s a chance Prescott will leave the Cowboys next offseason.
- Dak Prescott stats (Pro Football Reference):Â 12-5 record, 105.9 QB rating, 69.5 percent completion rate, 36-9 TD-INT, 4,516 passing yards, 6.1 percent touchdown rate, 7.7 yards per attempt
Part of Prescott’s decision might come down to his history of negotiations with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Dallas franchise-tagged its quarterback twice and still dragged its feet at the negotiating table. Fast-forward to 2024, and the Cowboys came with the same agenda and are finding Prescott is using the very leverage they gave him through their actions last time.
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Once the Cowboys extend Lamb’s deal, then Prescott will likely become the priority as Micah Parsons isn’t eligible for a contract extension until 2025. However, based on how the team has already treated its franchise quarterback in a contract year, Prescott might decide to leave for a team that will happily offer him $60-plus million per year and sell him as the face of their franchise.