The Dallas Cowboys are in a precarious situation going into the 2024 NFL season. Head coach Mike McCarthy is a lame duck coach without a contract extension. If he cannot lead the Cowboys on a deep run in the NFL Playoffs, he will not be back in 2025. Similarly, Dallas has a handful of star players that have not been extended past the 2024 season and could potentially leave in 2025.
One of these players is three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott, who finished second in NFL MVP voting just last year. In addition to him, the Cowboys have to make decisions on extensions for All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons.
Of the three, Lamb is the only one who held out of OTA’s and mandatory minicamp in search of his new deal. However, the Cowboys have also made it known that they are prioritizing Prescott’s situation over the other two.
There Is No Guarantee that the Dallas Cowboys Will Extend Dak Prescott
One may recall that this is not the first time Prescott and the Cowboys were in high-profile contract talks. Back in 2020, the star quarterback wanted a new contract after his rookie deal had run its course. At the time, he was asking for more than $35 million a season. Dallas, instead, franchise tagged him.
Of course, the 2020 season was a disaster for Prescott, who suffered a terrible ankle injury and was limited to just five games. After that season, the Cowboys tagged Prescott again before signing him to a four-year $160 million extension.
As can be seen in the scenarios above, the Cowboys are dealing with a quarterback that they have struggled to negotiate with in the past. And this year it is even more complicated.
With Jacksonville Jaguars star Trevor Lawrence getting $55 million a year on his new contract, it stands to reason that Prescott can and will earn so much more. In fact, he could become the first NFL Player to sign a deal for $60+ million a season.
The question that remains to be answered is whether or not it will be the Cowboys who give it to him.
ESPN Analyst Suggests the Dallas Cowboys Could Replace Dak Prescott with Kirk Cousins
In the event that Prescott refuses to sign an extension with Dallas, they will need to find a replacement for him in 2025. Developing a young quarterback can take some time, so ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests that, if they lose their three-time Pro Bowler, they could acquire Kirk Cousins from the Atlanta Falcons:
“Trading Cousins after one year would make sense if the Falcons want to begin the Penix era in 2025. They would have paid a whopping $62.5 million to Cousins for one season, but that’s a sunk cost by now. Trading Cousins would leave the Falcons with $37.5 million in dead money on their cap next year, but it would save $2.5 million in cap space and free up $37.5 million in cash spend over the ensuing two years.
“The Cowboys could commit to paying Cousins at least that $37.5 million for one year of work, with $27.5 million guaranteed in 2025 and another $10 million guaranteed for 2026, regardless of whether he is on the roster. If he sticks around, the Cowboys would pay him $72.5 million for two years, or an average of $36.3 million per season. That’s just over half of what Prescott is projected to make per year on his new deal.”
The big question about Cousins, however, is how he will respond this year as he returns from a torn Achilles in 2023. He is not as good of a quarterback as Prescott, but he is an accurate passer who knows the NFC very well. At 37-years old, he is also not a long-term solution.
If Prescott does leave, Dallas is not going to want to rebuild; they will want to reload. In this scenario, a healthy and still effective Cousins would make a lot of sense.
For More Great Football Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!
1 Comment
As a Viking fan, I know Kirk Cousins value is extremely overrated. He has one single playoff win after being with the Vikings for 6 years (and that was the ‘Minneapolis miracle’). Despite having a good throwing arm, he is bumbling fool in the pocket that can’t run or improvise.