The Dallas Cowboys want Dak Prescott back, but it's going to come at a cost.
The primary focus as the Cowboys head into the 2024 NFL draft is the future of their three-time Pro Bowl quarterback. He has one year left on his contract, and a long-term agreement has not yet been reached.
While team owner Jerry Jones reassured the media that they still want to re-sign Prescott, he mentioned that the supporting cast will likely diminish due to the money going to the veteran quarterback on his new deal.
Via Jon Machota from The Athletic reported:
“We've been operating on credit,” said Jones on Tuesday, April 23. “That’s how we had Dak Prescott plus a great supporting group around him for the last three or four years. You can't keep that when the expenses go up and you have to start reducing it. If you decide to pay a key player that much, there will be less support. That's how it works in the NFL.”
Cowboys Have Made Only 2 Free Agency Signings
Jones was explaining why the Cowboys had an inactive offseason, with only two major signings in free agency – former Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks and veteran running back Royce Freeman.
Apart from Prescott, the Cowboys also have impending deals with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. Jones is essentially saying that the lack of signings in free agency is due to the future deals of Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons.
“We knew that we would have to have less in order to have some of the players that we want at the prices they are,” says Jones. “You got to have less supporting cast. There’s no getting around it.”
Jerry Jones says Cowboys ‘Want Dak Prescott’
Though the Cowboys and Prescott haven't made significant progress in getting a new deal done, Jones has reiterated that he wants to sign the MVP runner-up to a new deal.
“We want Dak Prescott,” Jones said. “…That improvement demonstrated to me there’s more as far as ultimately winning what we’re trying to do here. The question nails it for me. We want Dak. We think that there’s room for growth.”
However, Jones also gave a puzzling answer for why the Cowboys have not gotten a deal done yet with Prescott.
“We’d like to see some more leaves fall,” Jones said. “We’d like to see some more action. It’s called option quarterback
Prescott had one of his best seasons, leading the league in touchdown passes (36) while also achieving career-highs with 410 completions, a 69.5% completion rate, and a 105.9 passer rating.
However, the Cowboys suffered a significant playoff loss at home to the youngest team in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers . The defeat reduced Prescott’s postseason record to 2-5. According to Brandon Lee Gowton from SB Nation’s Bleeding Green Nation, which is the lowest win rate among quarterbacks who have won multiple postseason games.
We will see if the Cowboys end up reaching an agreement with their franchise quarterback. However, the lack of action on a new deal for Prescott may be related to his difficulties in the playoffs.
