Jerry Jones Scrambling for Leverage Against Dak Prescott as Cowboys QB’s Kirk Cousins’ Approach Faces Trey Lance’s Challenge

It’s true that the Dallas Cowboys want to keep Dak Prescott in their roster, as Jerry Jones earlier mentioned, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. However, when it comes to his contract, the situation still looks a bit complicated. So, the question pops up again: is Jerry Jones looking to modify their quarterback’s contract or will he let him go? Well, the answer likely remains what the NFL journalist Tom Pelissero said a few days back – “Dallas’ philosophy has been, ‘we don’t need to do something now, so we will wait’.”

Similar to Pelissero, now sports podcaster Nick Wright, too, hinted at the fact that Jones is relying on a “wait and see” approach. In a latest talk at First Things First, Wright was joined by Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard to react to the Cowboys’ desire of re-signing Dak Prescott.

Wright discussed the Cowboys’ situation involving Prescott and Trey Lance, emphasizing that while the team will likely secure a deal for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, Dallas’ focus should be on improving overall performance rather than just freeing up cap space. Last month, Jones’ son, Stephon Jones, appeared on Mad Dag Radio, and admitted that Dak’s contract is a “priority” for them, and the deals like this “takes time.” However, Wright believes that if the Cowboys had intended to restructure Prescott’s contract to create cap space, they would have done it already. This indicates they are content with his current cap hit. Wright also highlighted that Prescott has successfully navigated the franchise tag game, similar to Kirk Cousins.

He said, “Dak, just like Kirk Cousins, played the franchise tag game, and in my opinion….next deal is going to be close to fully guaranteed or at least fully guaranteed for the first three years at record-breaking numbers and if that’s the standard, he is going to demand because that’s what the leverage allows.” Prescott’s performance was quite commendable last season especially under pressure, as per the NFL, “Dak’s +9.0 CPOE when facing pressure was the highest mark in the NFL by more than four percentage points, and his 8.4 yards per attempt on such passes also led the league.”

Furthermore, he led his team into the playoffs. Therefore, it’s quite possible that Jones is still in favor of Prescott. Or if he let him go off as a franchise-tagged just like Cousins, Prescott could find a heavy contract from a different team. And as Wright mentioned, the Cowboys would have done it already if they wanted to, suggesting that they are delaying to see how the season progresses before making any long-term commitments.

Additionally, Wright pointed out that Trey Lance’s performance in the preseason could be significant; if Lance does well, it could shift some leverage away from Prescott, but if he performs poorly, it won’t impact much. Essentially, Wright doesn’t think “the Cowboys are going to sign Dak before the year.” But, what’s Jones up to?

Jerry Jones is stuck in a contract conundrum?

Dak Prescott’s current contract, which already places a heavy burden on the Cowboys’ salary cap, gives him significant leverage in future negotiations. His next contract could exceed $55 million per year from $40 million per year. Thus, this will complicate the team’s ability to re-sign key players like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons.

Lamb is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and with a record-breaking performance last season (135 catches for 1749 receiving yards), he definitely deserves a pay-raise. Whereas, in Parsons’ case, he is signed through 2025. This means he might not be getting his contract extension this time. So, Jerry Jones is likely to choose between Prescott and Lamb’s contract to address first.

With Lamb’s value rising, Parsons needing a long-term deal after his impressive season, and Prescott’s being a valuable team member, the Cowboys must carefully navigate their salary cap to keep their core intact. Allowing Prescott to reach free agency in 2025 could result in his departure, making the upcoming decisions critical for the team’s future.

Therefore, the Cowboys management and Jerry Jones face a tough offseason of balancing contracts and ensuring they retain their star players while managing the financial constraints.