Monday and Tuesday at The Star were infused with exhilaration and a collective sigh of relief for Dallas Cowboys fans and the organization alike. The source of this emotional rollercoaster was the signing of 2023 All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136 million extension. This move not only ended Lamb's holdout but also ensured that one of the NFL's most formidable pass-catchers will remain with the team well into the future.
"You look at our numbers together, they're at the top of the charts. I have no doubt that they're going to get a deal done. We all know that I want Dak here. Jerry [Jones] wants Dak here, too, so let's just get this under control and kill the speculation and let's go win," Lamb stated, emphasizing the collaborative spirit within the Cowboys camp.
With Lamb's extension secured, attention now turns towards another critical component of the Cowboys' offensive machine: quarterback Dak Prescott. Entering the final year of his contract in 2024, Prescott's future with the team is now under the spotlight. In 2023, Prescott led the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns, reinforcing his status as one of the league's elite quarterbacks.
Prescott’s current contract includes both a no-franchise tag and a no-trade clause, providing him with significant leverage in negotiations. Without a new extension, Prescott would hit the open market by March 2025, a scenario that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones surely wishes to avoid. "We’re continuing to, first of all, put all of our focus on what’s coming up here in the next 10 days, two weeks. That game [Week 1 at the Cleveland Browns] takes priority over anything," Jones asserted, highlighting the immediate pressures ahead.
Yet, the clock is ticking. Despite the immediate focus on the upcoming season, the importance of Prescott's contract situation cannot be understated. None of the Cowboys' current backup quarterbacks, including Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, are under contract for 2025. This leaves a significant gap in the roster that needs addressing. Financial considerations, as always, loom large in these negotiations.
The landscape of quarterback salaries in the NFL is notoriously competitive. Players like Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, and Jordan Love hold contracts with the highest average annual salary in the league, at $55 million per year. For the Cowboys, managing these financial dynamics is a complex challenge. With $39.6 million in effective cap space in 2025 and a projected $160.1 million in cap space in 2026, the Cowboys' front office has some maneuverability, but every dollar counts.
"There’ve been conversations back and forth, but for the most part, as y’all know, I let my agent (Todd France) handle that, especially as we get right here into training camp," Prescott mentioned, showing a level of trust in his representation as he prepares for the season. He added, "The money and all that will take care of itself as it always has."
Jerry Jones, always a strategist, knows the intricacies of managing an NFL roster under salary cap constraints. "You’ve always got to remind everybody that this is a zero-sum game. Any dollar one player gets is a dollar another one doesn’t get," Jones remarked, encapsulating the financial balancing act that characterizes modern NFL team dynamics.
Jones continued, "If you can get the most and the best players out there for the least amount of the cap, you’re doing your very best job." This philosophy has influenced numerous decisions during his tenure, a period marked by both triumphs and challenges since he purchased the Cowboys in 1989.
"Sometimes it’s worked out really well. Sometimes taking those risks will bite you," Jones admitted candidly. The upcoming contract negotiations with Prescott will undoubtedly test these risk-management skills further. With Lamb now locked in and Prescott’s future in limbo, the Cowboys face a crucial juncture that could define their competitiveness in the seasons ahead.