Following He’s announcement Dak Prescott wish was forfield by Jerry Jones READ MORE……
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 offseason will be defined by what happens with Dak Prescott’s contract.
The quarterback has a $59.4 million salary cap figure, second largest in the NFL behind the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson. This is the final year of the four-year, $160 million deal Prescott signed after the 2020 season that included $126 million guaranteed.
Prescott’s contract stipulates the Cowboys cannot place the franchise tag on him in 2025. He also has a no-trade clause, though all that really means is he can be traded only to a team that meets his approval. Similarly, Russell Wilson had a no-trade clause and was dealt from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. Any such trade of Prescott would require a reworked contract to make it more palatable against the cap for the Cowboys, which is what happened to facilitate Aaron Rodgers’ trade to the New York Jets from the Green Bay Packers.
Still, a trade is unlikely for a variety of reasons, starting with the Cowboys want to win badly in 2024 and believe Prescott can help them do that.
But the Prescott question is not so much about 2024 as it is 2025 and beyond.
The Cowboys have three options with Prescott and his contract: do nothing, add voidable years to his deal, or sign him to a massive contract extension.
Let’s explore:
Do nothing
Can the Cowboys carry Prescott’s $59.4 million cap figure in 2024? Yes.
Does that make it more difficult to add players or retain the guys they want to keep? Yes.
But it’s not impossible. And it puts Prescott on the same win-or-else track as coach Mike McCarthy, who is also entering the final year of his contract. It also gives Prescott more leverage in negotiations, given that the team can’t tag him in 2025 and he would be facing true unrestricted free agency for the first time at age 31.
The Cowboys already plan to restructure the contracts of All-Pro guard Zack Martin and cornerback Trevon Diggs, who is coming back from a torn ACL, which could net them about $20 million in cap space. They can restructure the deal of right tackle Terence Steele, too. They can designate wide receiver Michael Gallup a post-June 1 cut and gain $9.5 million, although they would not add that space until June.
