There are plenty of questions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott. After their disappointing Wild Card round loss to the Green Bay Packers, some fans were wondering if the 30-year-old field general is still the right man under center for Dallas.
However, there’s even a bigger question mark that needs to be answered now: his 2024 contract. The Mississippi State product will enter the final year of his four-year deal with a $59 million cap hit, making some much-needed adjustments on the roster nearly impossible to make.
Worried fans of America’s Team will be happy to know that there are multiple ways out of this dilemma depending on the desired result. However, both of the options aren’t as straightforward as you like.
Is extending Dak Prescott’s contract the only way for the Cowboys to avoid the cap hit?
According to Cowboy Maven’s Anthony Licciardi, Should the Cowboys decide to offer the eight-year veteran slinger a contract, it would immediately mitigate the potential cap hit that would prevent Jerry Jones’ team from retooling the team for another Super Bowl run.
Unfortunately, negotiations have been far from ideal between Jones’ and Prescott’s camp. The possibility of the contract debacle reaching the preseason becomes more viable with each passing day their star man under center refuses to sign the dotted line.
The alternative is to “flip the switch” with an automatic conversion. This clause allows the team to turn part of his base salary into a bonus that will be paid out for throughout the season. This way, the team can acquire talent that will help Prescott win the Super Bowl.
What about a trade?
If, for some reason, extending the contract becomes an unviable option, the next best thing is to trade Dak Prescott to another NFL team.
While Prescott still has a terrible postseason reputation, his 4516 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns are still attractive numbers for a number of NFL teams.
In fact, former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jeff Saturday urges the 30-year-old to request a trade to the Atlanta Falcons. The team is primed with terrific offensive weapons that a talented quarterback like him can maximize.
Whether Dak is willing to leave Jerry World is another matter altogether.