Jerry Jones says new deal inevitable for Dallas Cowboys QB, MVP favorite Dak Prescott
With each passing game and passing touchdown, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has continued to gain momentum in the race for NFL MVP.
As his odds have increased on betting sites in Las Vegas, seemingly so has his price tag.
The Cowboys made it clear at the end of last season that they wanted to sign Prescott to a long-term contract extension.
Even though Prescott was coming off a year when he led the league with 15 interceptions, vice president Stephen Jones said last February that the eight-year veteran would be the team’s quarterback for another decade or so.
In 2024, Prescott will head into the final year of his four-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021. He will have a $59 million cap hit in 2024, it’s deal they must address to sign other players in the off season.
Stephen Jones acknowledged as much last month.
“He’s under contract now, but we’d like to do this after the season,” Jones said. “Once the season is over, we will focus on that. Dak will be our quarterback.”
The tricky part is that while the Cowboys have waited, the quarterback market has jumped again.
Prescott was the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL behind Patrick Mahomes when he signed his current deal. Now he is tied for 10th.
Joe Burrow is now the NFL’s highest paid quarterback at $55 million annually.
If Prescott wins the NFL MVP award, he will likely have to be paid in kind.
Prescott, who could become the first quarterback in franchise history to win the NFL MVP, leads the NFL with 28 touchdown passes. He has led the Cowboys to wins in seven of their last eight games, including five straight to put them in a first place tie with Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East.
Did the Cowboys’ wait too long to address Prescott’s deal?
Owner Jerry Jones said the only issue with a new deal for Prescott is timing. It’s “when”, not “if.”
“Don’t pay any attention to the discussion (of waiting too long),” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “It’s meaningless. The only thing that is factual here is what I decide and what we decide as a team and what Dak decides. We know exactly where we are on the contract, years left on the contract and we should be, and are, about as close on that type of communication. … The timing on it remains to be seen.”
Jones repeated his stance to reporters at the NFL’s meetings Tuesday night.
He said a new deal for Prescott is inevitable.
“I’ve never thought that we wouldn’t be making a contract,” Jones said to the Dallas Morning News. “I think that’s the best way for me to say it. The idea of doing it or not doing it has not been on the table from my perspective period at any time here.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 9:04 AM.
