The Dallas Cowboys are in an all-too familiar position.
After arguably putting together one of his best NFL seasons where he was the MVP frontrunner for most of the season, there’s a large portion of the fan base that is frustrated with Dak Prescott as the answer as the team’s QB after struggling yet again in an early playoff exit.
Given Dak’s contract, which is set to have a $59.4 million cap hit next season, an extension is likely on its way before the start of the March 13, 2024 business year. That’s always been the plan.
But some Dallas Cowboys fans cringe at the idea after what Prescott dished up against the Packers. And maybe the Jones family cringes just a little bit, too, even after Dak’s MVP-level regular season.
There are two reasons – or at least there were before Sunday – for the contract extension. One is that the $59 mil cap hit is untenable; Dallas would struggle in 2024 to build a roster if left untouched, and being able to re-sign other players (especially CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons) would be almost impossible.
The Cowboys find themselves with a major decision on their hands when it comes to the future of their franchise and if they believe Prescott can turn his typically top-tier regular season numbers into postseason success.
Dak Prescott’s Brother Chimes In On QB’s Future While Dallas Cowboys Have Major Decision To Make For 2024
On Saturday, Prescott’s brother took to social media expressing frustration from the barrage of messages about wanting the Cowboys QB out of Dallas.
Tad Prescott had a stunning response, agreeing he would love for his brother to move on, but stated Dak wants to remain with the Cowboys.
Cowboy fans why continue to DM me TRUST ME, if I could get @dak to leave Dallas I would. I too want him out of Dallas. The city and organization have been great to he and our family, but done with drama and the so called fans, but he loves this team, and wants to bring it rings
— Tad Prescott (@Tp1stprescott) January 20, 2024
”Cowboy fans why continue to DM me TRUST ME, if I could get @dak to leave Dallas I would,” Prescott’s brother said. “ I too want him out of Dallas. The city and organization have been great to he and our family, but done with drama and the so called fans, but he loves this team, and wants to bring it rings”
It;’s clear some fans are done with the Dallas Cowboys QB and the organization has reached a point where they have three major decisions to pick from this offseason according to team insider Mike Fischer.
The first is to continue to bank on Dask Prescott which would likely require making him maybe the highest-paid player in NFL history, maybe at $60 million APY. He’ll be a “Cowboy for Life” on a long-term deal. And Jerry Jones and the fan base will have to live with it.
There is a chance Jones and company can persuade Prescott to take less, both to help the cap and as a bow to the fact that he’s not “the best player in NFL history. It’s likely the Dallas Cowboys attempts a move like this, but will Prescott be okay with that knowing what other top QBs are making?
The next option is to cut or trade Prescott after June 1, the timing will help the cap ramifications just a bit. But the $59 million Cowboys QB still would have to be paid. Move on from Prescott and you “save” $34 million and you “gain” about $9 million of room in 2024.
While trading or releasing the Dallas Cowboys QB would free up a little much-needed cap space next season, Jerry Jones would have to be okay losing $25.5 million in dead money in ’24 and another $36.5 million dead in ’25. Not ideal at all.
Then there’s the reality another team would have to inherit Dak Prescott’s $59 million baggage, why does another team want it? And why would they give you anything of value back for the privilege of taking it on?
The final option is the Cowboys don’t make a significant offseason move to give Prescott a new contract, which is likely the worst possible solution. Why? The salary cap doesn’t spread to 2025; it is absorbed fully in 2024 which means the team will have almost no room to bring in any new talent or enhance the roster in anyway, while re-signing key free agents and extending superstars CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons would be nearly impossible.
This could backfire, creating more drama in the locker room with a QB who feels undervalued and teammates resenting him for holding their payday back, while not allowing the team to improve for 2024.
While it won’t be popular with many fans, Jerry Jones will likely try to get Dak Prescott to take a team-friendly deal with the Dallas Cowboys. It may not be the most popular decisions amongst fans, and clearly Dak’s own brother wants him to change teams, but releasing or trading him at this point will set the organization further back than keeping him.
