The Dallas Cowboys will have to spend a lot of money to keep Dak Prescott long-term. Potentially not a lot of money.
Prescott spoke to reporters on Friday, revealing that contract negotiations with the team have not yet begun, but that he had a preliminary discussion with team owner Jerry Jones a few weeks ago, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. He then said something quite curious:
“I’m not trying to be the highest paid, necessarily. I’m going to wait until negotiations start and obviously I want to put this team in the best situation.”
It’s not often you hear a player admit he’s not aiming for the best salary at his position, though words may mean little once negotiations begin. Your agent may also disagree.
If the Cowboys can’t get Prescott an extension, so will he didn’t seem afraid to look for another team:
“I’m not going to say I’m afraid of being here or not. I’m not afraid of either situation, to be honest with you. I love this game, I love playing the game, and I love improving myself as a player and my teammates around me. . Right now, it’s with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s where I want to be and that’s where I am and that’s the focus. After the season, we’ll see where we are, we’ll go from there.”
That’s perhaps a little more cynical than Prescott has been in the past, as last month he said he was “definitely confident” a deal would happen.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals currently leads all NFL quarterbacks, and therefore all NFL players, with an average annual value of $55 million per year, per year. OverTheCap. Right behind him are Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson ($52 million), then Jalen Hurts ($51 million). You’d imagine that’s the reach Prescott is aiming for, despite another rough end to the season this year (it’s not like any of these four players have a Super Bowl ring, although Burrow and Hurts at least made it to the big game).
Prescott is entering the final season of the four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed in 2021. He will carry a $55.1 million salary cap hit in 2024, a number that stands out amid the quiet offseason for the team and the need for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons Extensions as well.
