NFL insider warns Cowboys clock is ticking on Dak Prescott contract extension
It's only early September but things are already a little frosty over in Jerry World. There will be no Sundays without football from this week onwards but the Dallas Cowboys are yet to agree terms over a contract extension with Dak Prescott.
For what it's worth, Prescott has made it clear that he isn't holding out. He also said that he will play the rest of the year regardless of whether they get a deal done before Week 1. But with the season opener featuring the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs merely three days away, the Cowboys know they face a race against time to get a deal over the line.
They were handed a timely reminder of their situation early Monday morning by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. On his show, Rapoport said:
“You guys mentioned the Cowboys start with Dak Prescott, their quarterback, who is in talks with the team about a potential contract extension that would keep him in a Cowboys uniform, maybe for the balance of his career. The two sides have been working. There have been active conversations for about the last month or so, and the stakes are as high as they get.
"If Prescott does do a deal, which, of course, would make him the highest-paid player in NFL history, then he will remain with the Cowboys this season and beyond."
Rapoport also reminded the Cowboys that if Dak Prescott doesn't sign an extension, he will easily be the most high-profile name available in 2025 NFL free agency.
"He has all the leverage you could possibly get, and the clock is ticking,” he added.
Dak Prescott's free agency outlook in the spotlight
You'd have to look back to Tom Brady's last season with the Patriots to witness as big a name as Dak Prescott hit free agency. However, Brady was still pretty old when he left the New England Patriots. The fact that he still managed to deliver a Super Bowl under Bruce Arians with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers speaks to his greatness, but Dak Prescott is in the prime of his career.
Last year, Prescott was an MVP candidate all season. If he does hit free agency, most QB-needy teams would likely be willing to break the bank to bring him to town.
Franchise-level quarterbacks don't become free agents very often for a reason but the Cowboys could potentially learn that lesson soon enough. The other option? Make Dak Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history, a deal that will likely require the Cowboys to pay him somewhere around $60 million a year to surpass Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Jordan Love's $55 million-a-year deals.