One of the most important seasons in the Dallas Cowboys’ recent history is about to begin.
Dallas has one of the best lineups in the NFL, but despite finishing with 12 victories in three consecutive regular seasons, Dak Prescott and company have struggled in the postseason.
There was a broad belief among NFL insiders that Jerry Jones may blow it all up after the Cowboys were upset by the Packers in the Wildcard Round last year. Rather, he chose to stick with Mike McCarthy, who is about to reach the last year of his deal, and start Prescott at quarterback.
Jerry Jones has chosen to sit on his hands and has even publicly stated the plan is to let Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott finish out the remaining year on his current contract, rather than signing Prescott to a new extension after one of his best NFL seasons where he was leading the MVP conversation for most of the year.
Rather, the Cowboys lost a number of significant players on both sides of the ball, including as OL Tyron Smith and RB Tony Pollard.
Despite his well-known postseason troubles, Prescott ranks No. 6 among quarterbacks in the NFL going into 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. If he reaches the open market after this season, at least five teams—if not more—will be vying to pay him the highest salary of any quarterback in the league.
Jones and the Dallas Cowboys brass are taking a significant gamble, and even while some sources think the team still intends to sign Prescott to a long-term contract, the quarterback now has the last say and shouldn’t feel pressured to agree .
In the regular season, he had the second-best passing grade (89.8), behind only Tua Tagovailoa. Under duress, his 73.5 passing grade was the highest. He had the most number of big-time throws in the NFL during the regular season—37—and the lowest turnover-worthy play rate—2.0%—among quarterbacks with at least 400 dropbacks.
Prescott now has complete control over the huge choice that Jerry Jones and the Dallas decision-makers must make. Prescott’s asking price has reportedly increased to $60 million annually as a result of Trevor Lawrence just signing a contract that pays him the same amount of money as Joe Burrow.
Prescott might very well be able to handpick the team by now that will be more than willing to give him the money he demands after 2024.
