The Dallas Cowboys are entering one of the most pivotal seasons in franchise history as this could be the last year with the current talented roster in-tact to chase a Super Bowl.
After three-straight regular seasons where Dallas finished with 12 wins, Dak Prescott and company have continued to choke in the playoffs despite having one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.
After the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Packers in a surprise upset in the Wildcard Round last year, there was a general sentiment amongst NFL insiders that Jerry Jones might blow the whole thing up. Instead, he decided to ride with Mike McCarthy — who is entering the final year of his contract — and keep Prescott at QB.
Instead of inking Prescott to a new extension following one of his best NFL seasons where he was leading the MVP conversation for most of the year, Jerry Jones has opted to sit on his hands and even stated publicly the plan is to let the Cowboys franchise QB play out the final year of his current deal.
Prescott is responsible for a massive salary cap hit in 2024 and it was nearly impossible to add new talent this offseason.
So instead, the Dallas Cowboys lost several starters, including OL Tyron Smith, RB Tony Pollard and other key pieces on both sides of the ball.
While Prescott’s postseason struggles have been well-documented, he enters 2024 as the No. 6 QB in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus and if he hits the open market following this season, there will be a minimum of five teams, likely more, lining up to make him the highest paid QB in the NFL.
Jones and the Cowboys brass is taking a major risk, and while some insiders believe the organization still plans to reach a long-term deal with Prescott, the QB now holds all the power and shouldn’t have any urgency to sign.
While Prescott has dodged the future all offseason, the Dallas Cowboys QB took the podium after training camp practice and for the first time, acknowledged this could be his final season in his current role.
“I want to be here, but when you look up—all the great quarterbacks I watched played for other teams,” Prescott said. “That’s not something to fear. It may be a reality for me one day. It may not be my decision. That’s the freedom that I have.”
Prescott holds a lot of the cards thanks to a clause in his current deal that keeps the franchise tag off of him. Prescott also has a no-trade clause that would prevent Dallas from moving the quarterback, unless the star approved a deal.
All this has Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicting that Prescott will bolt Dallas when free agency hits in 2025. Knox projected that Prescott will land a four-year, $224 million from another team next offseason.
Knox believes this is Prescott’s last season with the Dallas Cowboys.
“By waiting, the Cowboys have allowed Prescott to watch as [Jared] Goff and [Trevor] Lawrence signed their extension,” Knox detailed in a July 26, 2024, story titled “Projecting Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy Contracts After Tua Tagovailoa Deal.” “Now Tagovailoa’s contract is done too. Even if Prescott isn’t looking to top the market, he’ll want $53.2 million annually at a minimum.
“Prescott is likely to get that, and possibly not from Dallas. His contract includes a no-tag and no-trade clause, meaning he can simply play on a $55.1 million cap hit this season and hit free agency in 2025,” Knox continued.
“It’s starting to feel like a split between Dallas and Prescott is inevitable,” he wrote. “The questions is which quarterback-needy team will pony up for the three-time Pro Bowler in 2025.”
The Dallas Cowboys have a few massive decisions to make sooner rather than later. The first is to lock down CeeDee Lamb to a new deal before the 2024 season, then Jerry and Stephen Jones can focus on trying to find a way to keep Prescott in town.
