Cowboys, Dak Prescott work together to create cap space; long-term deal still expected
The Dallas Cowboys finally did something with quarterback Dak Prescott to create cap room.
But it wasn’t nearly what was expected expected or hoped.
It was a sign of progress.
The team converted Prescott’s $5 million roster bonus, which was due Monday, to a signing bonus. It cleared up $4 million cap space, per source.
Prescott’s cap number for the 2024 season dropped from $59.4 million to $55.455 million, which is a minor shave.
The move doesn’t preclude the Cowboys from continuing to work on a long-term contract extension for Prescott.
That remains the plan.
With only $4 million in room previously under the NFL’s salary cap of $255 million, the Cowboys had to do something to make other moves in free agency.
Their lack of cap room has impacted their ability to sign other players.
The move, which is a good sign that the Cowboys and Prescott are on the same page, also added void years to Prescott contract, which expires at the of the season.
The Cowboys needed Prescott’s approval to add the void years, which now makes his dead cap on his 2025 void $40.5 million.
That’s if Prescott walks away after the season in free agency and doesn’t get an extension done.
The Cowboys and Prescott don’t plan to let that happen.
Even though Monday represented a minor tweak, it was a sign of progress and cooperation.
Both sides acknowledge a need to work together to get an extension done, which would be amenable to all parties.
Vice-president Stephen Jones echoed as much last week.
“Dak’s been willing to work with us, and we’ve had great discussions about his contract,” Jones said. “He’s all in on working with us. … That’s about all we’ll say about our negotiations with him. We wanna keep those private. And we won’t get into timelines, but it’s a priority for us.”
The Cowboys have hopes of signing receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons to record-breaking long-term deals.
And Prescott would not only like to be the Cowboys quarterback for years to come but he wants them to have the ability to build a team around him to bolster the overall goal of finally winning a Super Bowl title.
This story was originally published March 18, 2024 at 8:32 AM.
