Ron Rivera played for nine years with the NFL, and for the past 13 years, he has been a head coach. When it comes to supporting players or management, he is conflicted. In his new role as an ESPN analyst, Rivera took a very pro-management stance and urged Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to accept a reduced contract to allow the team more flexibility to add talent around him.
Prescott and the Cowboys have not fully started negotiating a new contract, but Prescott is entering the final year of his four-year, $160 million contract signed in Dallas in 2021. This heavily backloaded contract is set to pay him $59.4 million in 2024. In a reworked contract, it is expected that Prescott would accept less in the first year of the deal.
Prescott could agree to earn much less, enabling the Cowboys to invest in other areas.
“I think that would be really beneficial for him and for the Cowboys,” stated Rivera on NFL Live (H/T SI.com’s Mike Fisher). “Not only do they need improvement in the running game, but by doing that, there also has to be an enhancement of the offensive line. So, once again, go ahead and do something positive for the team, Dak, because it will give you an even better opportunity to perform at your best.”
Offensive Improvements Needed by Cowboys
The Cowboys have various needs. They could benefit from an upgrade at the No. 2 receiver position, and they certainly require depth on the offensive line with the impending departure of star left tackle Tyron Smith. An upgrade at running back from Tony Pollard would also be beneficial.
However, the Cowboys cannot make those changes if Prescott consumes too much of the salary cap.
“To me, it’s about ensuring that you are able to have the right players around you,” said Rivera, who spent the last four seasons with the Commanders before he was fired this offseason. “You need to have players in front of you protecting you and blocking for you. You also need playmakers out there. What better way to be supportive—I'm not talking about rock-bottom deals, I mean making a sensible decision that benefits you but also benefits your team.”
In the segment, Rivera was joined by longtime NFL lineman Damien Woody, who distinctly does not recommend Prescott to leave money on the table.
“Listen, I am a former player and those are, like, unacceptable words coming from a former player,” Woody said. “I don't want to hear team-friendly, especially when we see all these guys getting released right now. So, listen, Dak Prescott has earned what he has in this situation, and he has to decide whether it's, ‘Hey, I want to be ruthless,’ or give back to the team, a little something.”
Dak Prescott, Unrestricted Free Agent in 2025?
Nevertheless, there have been no substantial discussions on Prescott’s contract yet, which is a strange situation for a team that clearly needs to negotiate a new deal with a lower figure than $59.4 million. This gives some credibility to the rumor mentioned by NFL Network host Rich Eisen last week after the draft combine.
Eisen mentioned that there were talks at the combine suggesting that the Cowboys would not revise Prescott’s contract but would make him play out the final year and let him become unrestricted free agent next offseason.
It's possible that Prescott's lack of success in the playoffs could lead the Cowboys to not want him anymore, even though he has done well in the regular season.
"According to people at the Combine, his understanding of being fully committed is to have Dak play out his final year and not give him a contract extension at all," Eisen said on the "Rich Eisen Show."They would just take the financial hit. And the free agents they might pursue won't be the well-known players because they won't be able to afford them."
