The Dallas Cowboys are entering one of the most pivotal seasons in recent franchise history.
After three-straight regular seasons where Dallas finished with 12 wins, Dak Prescott and company have continued to choke in the playoffs despite having one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.
After the Cowboys fell to the Packers in a surprise upset in the Wildcard Round last year, there was a general sentiment amongst NFL insiders that Jerry Jones might blow the whole thing up. Instead, he decided to ride with Mike McCarthy — who is entering the final year of his contract — and keep Prescott at QB.
Instead of inking Prescott to a new extension following one of his best NFL seasons where he was leading the MVP conversation for most of the year, Jerry Jones has opted to sit on his hands and even stated publicly the plan is to let the Cowboys franchise QB play out the final year of his current deal.
Prescott is responsible for a massive salary cap hit in 2024 and it was nearly impossible to add new talent this offseason.
So instead, the Cowboys lost several starters, including OL Tyron Smith, RB Tony Pollard and other key pieces on both sides of the ball.
While Prescott’s postseason struggles have been well-documented, he enters 2024 as the No. 6 QB in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus and if he hits the open market following this season, there will be a minimum of five teams, likely more, lining up to make him the highest paid QB in the NFL.
Jones and the Dallas Cowboys brass is taking a major risk, and while some insiders believe the organization still plans to reach a long-term deal with Prescott, the QB now holds all the power and shouldn’t have any urgency to sign.
Prescott lead the NFL in several key categories in 2023 with 4,516 passing yards (third), 36 touchdowns (1st), nine interceptions and a QBR of 72.7 (second in the NFL).
His 89.8 passing grade in the regular season ranked second only to Tua Tagovailoa. His 73.5 passing grade under pressure was No. 1. His 37 big-time throws in the regular season were the most in the NFL, and his 2.0% turnover-worthy play rate was the lowest among quarterbacks with at least 400 dropbacks.
Prescott was efficient, aggressive and accurate, albeit with a poor showing to end the year.
So now, Jerry Jones and the Dallas decision makers have a massive decision on their hands but Prescott holds all the power. Now that Trevor Lawrence just inked a deal that is paying him the same kind of money Joe Burrow is getting, Prescott’s price tag only got higher and reports have surfaced that he’s now demanding $60 million per year.
At this point, there’s a very real possibility Prescott can hand pick the team that will be more than happy to pay him what he’s asking after 2024.
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Issued Warning About Leaving Team After 2024
While Prescott will have no shortage of suitors in free agency if he chooses to go that route, former head coach Herm Edwards warned the 2023 MVP runner-up of thinking twice when it comes to leaving Dallas.
While appearing ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, July 3, the 70-year-old former coach argued that Prescott would not upgrade teams if he decided to leave the Dallas Cowboys.
“You’re not going to play for a better team,” Edwards said. “Who challenges him? The [Philadelphia Eagles]. The [Detroit Lions] … [Green Bay Packers], [San Francisco 49ers], that’s who they got to deal with. That’s who Dak has to deal with to get to the Super Bowl. And that’s what he understands. If you understand that and say, ‘Well, hey, I got the best team I can play on right now. I go somewhere else, I got to start over.’”
Edwards makes a fair point considering the NFC is stacked. All of the aforementioned teams already have franchise quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Jordan Love and Brock Purdy. To make matters worse, the AFC — which is seen as the stronger conference — already have teams with franchise quarterbacks locked in on long-term contracts such as Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow
The question is if the Dallas Cowboys can find a way to keep Prescott and still give contract extensions to their two other stars, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons.
According to Spotrac, Prescott’s projected market value is $53.1 million per season across four years for a total of over $212 million. That would make Prescott the third-highest paid quarterback on an average annual basis in the NFL.
