CeeDee Lamb has secured a new contract, but Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is still expected to play the 2024 season under the final year of his current deal. There has been little urgency from either side to finalize an extension, and owner Jerry Jones indicated that a new contract is unlikely to be completed before Prescott and the Cowboys kick off Week 1.
“We don’t need to get this done before the season,” Jones told Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS last week. “We just don’t need to get it done before the season. Because it’s in all of our interest, Dak and everybody, to have a great season. And as a matter of fact, that’s probably not realistic to think before the season. But my thought sitting right here is we’ll have Dak [as Cowboys quarterback in 2025 and beyond]. But all I’m gonna say is this: it’s not done yet.”
It would make sense for the Cowboys to invest heavily in a wide receiver like Lamb without having a plan to retain their franchise quarterback. While Lamb’s new contract may not directly impact Prescott’s situation, it looks increasingly likely that Prescott will finish out the 2024 season on his current deal. Jones remains optimistic about Prescott’s future with the team and expressed confidence in eventually reaching a contract extension.
“I think I am. I am,” Jones said of his confidence in a potential Prescott extension. “But I understand completely. I understand our challenge. But confident is not a word for me here. I feel that I think that we can do it. We have not figured it out yet.”
With Prescott eyeing a significant average annual value in his extension negotiations, the Cowboys may need to make adjustments elsewhere on the roster to accommodate his new deal. Jones is already bracing for the repercussions of a lucrative extension for Prescott, hinting at potential sacrifices in other areas of the team to make it work.
“I’m looking at having less supporting cast around him than he’s had any time in his career,” Jones said. “He’s going to have to make up for that and some because we haven’t gotten to the games we want to be playing in. … And he’s going to have to do it in the future with less of a supporting cast. That’s what I’m fighting for. … What kind of supporting cast can we have around Dak? I know you understand that. Do our fans? Do our fans know that Dak is going to have less of a supporting cast than his career has allowed him to have up until now.”
Prescott is currently slated to earn $34MM in cash for the upcoming season. The team could look to restructure his $55.13MM cap hit with an extension, though this would likely push more money into future years. The Cowboys are weighing multiple factors as they navigate negotiations, indicating a willingness to let the 2024 season play out before finalizing Prescott’s extension.
