The rest of the 2023 season is an important one for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. If he wants to cement his status as the team’s long-term starter under center, he needs to finish this season on a high note.
There have been a lot of questions about whether or not Prescott would be the Cowboys’ starter beyond the 2023 season. A big reason for that is the massive cap hit that he carries for the 2024 season.
Right now, he is set to count $59.4 million against the cap. That is a number Dallas cannot afford to pay even if their salary cap situation was in a better place. Despite that obstacle, Todd Archer of ESPN doesn’t believe Prescott is going anywhere any time soon.
“Ideally, the Cowboys would sign [Prescott] to an extension in the offseason to lower that cap number and allow the team to add more playmakers to the roster,” Archer said. “But negotiations for his current deal took a lot longer than expected, and it’s possible things stretch out again. It should be noted that Prescott has no-trade and no-franchise-tag clauses in his current deal,” Archer wrote.
The rumors around Prescott’s future picked up after the Cowboys acquired Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft flamed out in the Bay Area, but a change of scenery could be what helps get his career on track.
If Lance was acquired with plans to replace Prescott at some point this season, the eighth-year veteran has done a good job of holding him off. He has put together a solid 2023 campaign, completing a career-high 70.2 percent of his passes for 2,011 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games.
Cutting down on the interceptions has been a huge positive for Prescott, who led the NFL with 15 last season despite playing in only 12 games. Outside of Week 5 against the 49ers, when Prescott threw three interceptions, he has been excellent at taking care of the ball.
Given the current construction of the Cowboys, it is hard to imagine finding a quarterback better suited to lead the team than Prescott. Working out a contract extension to lower his 2024 cap hit and keep him in Dallas beyond the life of his current deal is something both parties would benefit from.
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