There was discussion this past week about Dak Prescott’s contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys, and it was boldly stated by one major NFL reporter that Prescott has the most leverage of any player in football. While that could be true, it makes an assumption that has yet to be substantiated.
Yes, Prescott has a lot going for him in these talks. He has a no-trade clause and cannot be franchise-tagged based on the current deal. Prescott’s coming off a year in 2023 in which he received votes for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. These certainly boost his position in negotiations if the Cowboys want to retain his services.
“There’s not a player in football with more leverage right now than Dak Prescott.”@AdamSchefter on the Cowboys QB heading into contract negotiations 💰 pic.twitter.com/HQn7lunsyH
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 7, 2024
But aye, there’s the rub. “If the Cowboys want to retain” him is the assumption that Schefter and others are making when they opine on Prescott’s future. And while the Cowboys front office has said they want to keep Prescott, their actions to this point leave room for questions.
If the team is willing to go another direction at quarterback in 2025, Prescott’s leverage evaporates quickly.
The lack of urgency so far in Dallas’ offseason suggests they’re preparing for a franchise renovation. Coach Mike McCarthy’s “lame duck” status, with no years left on his contract beyond 2024, is well-documented. That the Cowboys brought in Mike Zimmer, with ample head coaching experience in his own right, as defensive coordinator is no small matter. Like Wade Phillips in 2010, the rug could come out from under McCarthy before the season’s over.
If the Cowboys are making McCarthy fight for his job, why wouldn’t they do the same with Prescott? If they believed in the roster but not the coach, McCarthy would already be gone. If they believed in the coach but not the players, we’d be seeing a very different offseason. The fact that Dallas is doing so little right now indicates they’re willing to let the status quo play out for one more year and then either reward their guys or find some new ones.
Trey Lance is here for a reason, guys. A year ago, the Cowboys already had a backup QB they loved in Cooper Rush. They didn’t trade for Lance and the back half of his rookie deal, costing them $5.3 million in cap space this year, just to beef up the depth chart. Not this team, which has been loathe to invest in its backup quarterbacks for decades.
That’s not to say that Dak Prescott can’t force his way into a new deal with his play in 2024. But it’s fairly evident that the Cowboys are leaving their options open at this point, and that means Prescott doesn’t have nearly the leverage that the national media is suggesting. If he goes into the season without a new contract, the story quickly turns on its head. Then it will be Dallas who holds all the cards, with a 31-year-old Prescott having to prove he’s worth elite compensation.