The Dallas Cowboys have reached a stalemate with quarterback Dak Prescott in contract talks and now seem willing to play out the 2024 campaign with Prescott getting set to hit free agency next spring.
Prescott is apparently aiming to land $60 million annually, a price that the Cowboys are understandably reluctant to pay.
An NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic that Dallas’ strategy next season will be hoping that Prescott plays himself into a cheaper deal.
“If the guy wants $60 million a year, you know what we are going to do instead?” the executive said. “We are going to have an average team, and you are going to play worse and we are going to get you at a better price.”
In other words, Prescott making $60 million per year would hamstring Dallas moving forward, preventing the club from being able to supply Prescott with enough adequate supporting talent.
So, instead, the Cowboys will allow Prescott to essentially play 2024 on a one-year deal, regress from his career year in 2023 and then sign for a lower price next offseason.
It’s not a bad method by Jerry Jones, if that is what he is trying to do.
Prescott is coming off of a fantastic season in which he led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and finished second in MVP voting. But what are the chances of him having another year like that?
The 30-year-old is just two years removed from leading the league in interceptions in spite of playing in just 12 games, and he has gone just 2-5 in the playoffs over the course of his career.
Just this past winter, Prescott and the Cowboys were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, further prolonging their postseason misery.
Handing Prescott $60 million a year probably wouldn’t allow Dallas to build a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It’s important to remember that the Cowboys also need to extend wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons, so they certainly need to save money.
We’ll see if Dallas and Dak Prescott can find some common ground in the coming months.
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