Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he does not expect to sign Dak Prescott to an extension before the opener, but that does not preclude the team from continuing to negotiate into the season. In the end, though, it’s the quarterback’s decision.
He holds all the leverage with no-trade and no-tag clauses.
Prescott can choose to hit free agency in March, beginning a bidding war for his services.
The Cowboys’ only hope of signing him before then is by offering him a yearly average of $60 million or more, and even that might not get it done.
Prescott said Thursday he doesn’t necessarily need a deal before the season, but. . .
“I think it says a lot if it is or isn’t [done],” Prescott said, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “But that doesn’t really matter to me, to be honest with you.”
Prescott was asked what it says if it isn’t done and said, “Just how people feel.” He answered, “I don’t know,” with a smile when asked “what people?”
Prescott bet on himself previously, waiting through two years of negotiations to sign a four-year, $160 million deal despite coming off a gruesome ankle injury. That’s why he didn’t hold out or hold in and instead will play out his contract if the Cowboys don’t come up with an offer that would make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
He and the entire coaching staff, including Mike McCarthy, are among those entering the final year of their contracts, something that Prescott said he embraces.
“I’m blessed to play this game,” said Prescott, who counts $55 million against the team’s cap this season. “I’m getting paid a lot of money to do it. I’ve already got paid. To get paid again, that’s just part of it. I’m due up for that whether it’s signing here or whether it’s somewhere else that I don’t care to think about at this moment. It’s all part of it. For me, it’s like I said, it’s about controlling what I can and being the best version of myself, best leader and make sure all these guys in here understand that we’re on a mission. It’s not about next year right now. It’s not about my contract. It’s not about anything but getting ready for Game 1 against the Browns. Simple as that.”
Prescott is only 2-5 in the postseason, failing to take the Cowboys where so many other quarterbacks have since Troy Aikman. Tony Romo was 2-4 in the playoffs.
Jones was asked this week about committing to Prescott long term despite seeing the playoff success and said negotiations are more about the Cowboys than Prescott.
“You could easily say, if you haven’t seen it by now, you haven’t seen it,” Jones said. “I’m such a fan of Dak. And I appreciate all of the great things that we all know are there. And I appreciate his work ethic probably more than anything. I can’t tell you how proud I am that we’ve got him this year to start this campaign. . . . Dak’s situation, right now for me, has more to do with our situation than it does with the merits of Dak Prescott being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.”
Prescott sounds as if he’s heard enough of Jones to last a career.
“Yeah, I understand that. That’s the business and the nature of this game that we play,” Prescott said. “Yeah, I mean, I stopped, honestly, listening to things that he says to the media a long time ago. Doesn’t really hold weight with me.”