The Dallas Cowboys have made NFL news this offseason for the wrong reasons, namely not strongly pursuing contract extensions with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. With the costs of signing the highest-paid NFL players only rising, Dallas seems to be getting a warning before it starts negotiating.
Contract situations with both Lamb and Prescott aren’t in a favorable place. While Dallas can use the franchise tag on its star wide receiver to prevent him from hitting NFL free agency in 2025, recent extensions for top wide receivers have already driven up costs.
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Thanks to deals signed by A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Cowboys will likely have to offer Lamb at least $31 million annually in an extension. The cost could be even higher depending on what terms the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson agree to. However, the situation with Prescott is even worse.
Dallas can’t use the franchise tag on Prescott in 2025, meaning he has a clear path to NFL free agency if he wants it. To make matters worse, if he leaves, the team is still left with a $40.46 million dead cap hit in 2025. It’s likely part of the reason why wide receiver Brandin Cooks seems to be warning the Cowboys’ front office about what could happen without a deal.
Appearing on “GoJo and Golic“, Cooks made it pretty clear he sides with Prescott and seemed to warn the Cowboys about what will happen if they don’t extend their franchise quarterback now.
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“If you don’t do it now, in my opinion, it’s just going to cost that much later because he’s on a mission for sure.”
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks on the team needing to extend Dak Prescott
Things could become even more complicated if Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa sign contract extensions this summer. Both quarterbacks are expected to land multi-year deals worth north of $52 million annually, which would push Prescott’s asking price even higher.
Few around the NFL seem to understand why Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ front office haven’t seriously pursued contract extensions with Prescott and Lamb already. One thing that is evident, though, the cost will keep rising the longer Dallas waits. As Cooks said, not extending Prescott now just means the Cowboys will have to pay more later. Dallas made the same mistake a few years ago, now they seem to be repeating it.
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