One of the biggest talking points heading into the season for the Cowboys is the question mark on Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamba, and Micah Parson’s future. With the trio on the cusp of finishing their contracts, Dallas fans want Jerry Jones & Co. to retain them at any cost. Unfortunately, there has been no movement around this topic so far, but NFL Insider Tom Pelissero recently revealed that the Cowboys indeed have a priority list in retention amongst the three.
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Talking to the analysts at The Rich Eisen Show, Tom divulged that the Cowboys are prioritizing Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb primarily due to where their contracts are at this point. Considering Dak has been franchise-tagged twice and Lamb is holding on for a longer contract, the Cowboys have their eyes set on resolving their issues before looking at Parsons who is eligible for a fourth-year contract extension this year.
“It’s pretty apparent just based on where they are in their contracts that Dak and CeeDee are going to be the top priorities. I did not say they don’t want to get something done with Micah but he’s entering year four, he is eligible for an extension now but it sounds like Micah also understands but those other ones are a little bit more urgent here.”
However, Pelissero warned the Cowboys faithful that the Prescott situation is alarming. A third franchise tag on Prescott would mean an increment of 144% on his cap number which takes his remuneration to a whopping $60 million a year. Thus Pelissero opined that the QB’s chances of becoming an unrestricted free agent next year are really high due to the colossal franchise cap increment.
“With Dak, you know the situation is different. With CeeDee, you’ve got franchise tags you can apply, Micah has got a year and then his option and then tags. With Dak, you are 10 months away from Dak Prescott, your franchise quarterback becoming an unrestricted free agent.
They had to tag him a second time a few years ago because they needed to buy time for his new contract to process, so a third tag would be 144% of his cap number this year which I believe is close to $60 million. It’s such an astronomical number they basically can’t tag him again. So Dak is going to be that rare franchise quarterback who becomes a true free-agent.”
It’s no secret that the Cowboys are in a bad position financially. In such situations, teams often have to clear up their payroll and make some hard cuts to make space. Unfortunately for the Cowboys fans, it looks like Brandin Cooks will be their casualty.
Dallas Cowboys To Cut Veteran Brandin Cooks For Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb?
The Cowboys signed Cooks last year in exchange for a 2023 5th-round pick and a sixth-round pick in 2024. The WR had a stellar last season with 54 catches and 8 TDs. However, one of the most logical ways to manage finances would be to cut Cooks as it will open up an extra $8 million cap space provided they designate him post-June 1
With Jerry Jones’ reportedly reluctant to pull the trigger on contract extensions for Dak and Lamb, hard calls like this is the only way to create space for the Cowboys. However, it definitely sucks to be Cooks as this is his fifth franchise after four trades in 10 years. He has also crossed the 1000-yard mark in six of his 10 seasons.
Still, as things currently stand, Cooks might have to face the axe once again for the greater good of the team. Well, here’s hoping to see him again on an NFL team!
