The Dak Prescott contract saga with the Dallas Cowboys is heating up. As the 3x Pro Bowler enters the final year of his $160 million, 4-year deal, the buzz around his next massive payday is only growing louder. Adding fuel to that fire is a former Cowboys defensive end, who insists there needs to be a palpable sense of urgency from Dallas in getting an extension done.
Advertisement
During the discussion on NFL on ESPN, Marcus Spears reflected on his view that the Cowboys can’t afford to let this contract situation linger much longer. According to his insights, Dak Prescott doesn’t have much to gain by staying with the Dallas franchise, except for his desire to retire as a Cowboy.
“And listen, here’s the problem, Dak has literally zero incentive to sign a new contract with the Cowboys other than the fact that, if he just wants to and have the rest of his career be in Dallas” Spears added.
The former DE raised another intriguing angle to the situation. It could be that the Dak Prescott contract negotiations could have a ripple effect across the NFL quarterback market. Spears voices that there are several teams keeping a close eye on how Dallas handles this extension.
Considering that the Cowboys balked at giving Prescott a massive new deal, he could hit free agency after this season. For QB-needy teams, that prospect is tantalizing enough to put their own quarterback contract talks on hold. Why pay top dollar to retain their current signal caller if they could potentially land an elite talent like Prescott?
So for franchises like the Jaguars, Dolphins, and Packers, who all have QBs awaiting new contracts, Prescott’s situation is one to monitor closely.
NFL Insider Rallies Behind Marcus Spears’ Take on the Cowboys Drama with Dak Prescott
NFL insider Jeff Darlington echoed Spears’ perspective, noting the Dak Prescott situation has other teams like the Dolphins and Packers holding their breath. With Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love also entering final contract years, their franchises are potentially monitoring how Dallas handles Prescott before pulling the trigger on new deals.
The recent massive extension for Jared Goff with the Lions only amplifies the stakes, suggested Jeff. That eye-popping payday highlighted the trusting rate for securing a franchise quarterback today.
Last season alone saw Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert cash in with lucrative long-term deals as their teams doubled down. And as Darlington stated, “Dak Prescott has all the leverage” in these negotiations and securing his future, whether in Dallas or elsewhere.
The NFL insider believes that the Cowboys front office are the ones who face intense pressure to go big for their 3x Pro Bowler. If they fail to do so, the risk of losing Prescott to the highest bidder, once the 2024-24 season gets over, will get more intense.
Moreover, with multiple franchises potentially aligning their own QB contract dominoes behind whatever happens in Dallas, the Prescott talks have become this offseason’s highest-stakes game of chicken. All eyes are now fixated on Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office.