Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott tiptoed around questions about contract negotiations with the organization.
“It’s still conversations,” Prescott said Wednesday, via the team website. “I’m aware of everything [owner Jerry Jones] said and everything he said is dead-on — communication has been back-and-forth. . . . At the end of the day, I’ve talked about [how] this is where I want to be, but my focus is on helping my team. It’s as simple as that.”
While he reaffirmed his commitment to the franchise, Prescott may realize there’s a chance this could be his last season in Dallas.
Three-time Pro Bowler Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year, $160M contract, which includes no-tag and no-trade clauses. Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk notes that both parties “appear nowhere close to a [new] deal.”
Per Garrett Podell of CBS Sports, Prescott recently said, “I’m not trying to become the [highest-paid player in the league] necessarily.” However, quarterbacks – such as Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (five years, $255M), Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (five years, $260M) and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (five years, $275M) – reset the market last offseason.
Dallas probably wants to see more from Prescott in the postseason before it gives him a mega deal. He’s 2-5 in the playoffs across eight seasons and has yet to lead the Cowboys to the NFC Championship game.
“We scratched the surface, in the sense of this was our first year with Mike calling the show [on offense],” Prescott said. “All the great things we had last year, to take it into game plan earlier in the offseason for things that may come up during the season. It’s going to prepare us [better] in the details and prevent us from having to make adjustments late. Another year is going to be special.”
Prescott led the league in passing touchdowns (36 in 17 games) last season, finishing second in MVP voting behind Jackson. If he can build off of the career year and lead the Cowboys on a deep playoff run, Prescott should be able to solidify his future with the franchise.
