Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' recent comments suggest the team is facing a salary cap quandary as it tries to retain star quarterback Dak Prescott while also keeping its other key players.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has publicly expressed concerns about the team's ability to afford re-signing quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term contract without jeopardizing the team's overall salary cap health.
Jones, in an interview with Stephen A. Smith, stated that the Cowboys have a "challenge" in balancing Prescott's compensation with the need to sign other key players. He pointed out the recent restructuring of Prescott's contract, which will ensure the Cowboys continue to pay him millions of dollars even if he leaves the team.
Cowboys' Offseason Heat: A Potential Contract Crunch with Dak Prescott
In 2025, Prescott will count $40 million against the Cowboys' salary cap if he ends up on another team. This is due to a contract restructuring that converted his $5 million roster bonus into a signing bonus and added two voidable years. While the move freed up $4 million in cap space this year, that money effectively moves to next year's dead cap, further straining the Cowboys' future financial flexibility.
Prescott, who turns 31 this year, is expected to become a free agent at the end of the season. His next contract could potentially exceed the lucrative deals recently signed by Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence, tying them as the most financially rewarding contracts in NFL history.
Cowboys' Offseason Heat: A Potential Contract Crunch with Dak Prescott
Jones, however, remains optimistic that the Cowboys can manage the salary cap situation despite the potential financial constraints. He points to the recent record-breaking contract extension given to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and the impending contract negotiations with star linebacker Micah Parsons, who could become the first non-quarterback to command a $200 million deal in NFL history.
"We gotta ask ourselves, can we have the kind of success that Dak deserves, we deserve, his teammates deserve, our fans deserve? Can we do that and get in the range to afford Dak?" Jones pondered. "I think we can."
Cowboys' Offseason Heat: A Potential Contract Crunch with Dak Prescott
Prescott, however, has expressed a lack of concern about Jones' recent comments, saying he often disregards the owner's media statements. Prescott's response came after Jones said that Prescott's contract situation was more about the Cowboys' overall situation than about the quarterback's individual merits.
Jones also raised the possibility of a "Plan B" at quarterback if a long-term deal with Prescott could not be reached. The Cowboys currently have no other quarterback under contract for 2025.
Cowboys' Offseason Heat: A Potential Contract Crunch with Dak Prescott
"Contracts isn't the end-all solution, and some of the best decisions that I've been a part of with the Cowboys have been when we didn't have contracts one way or the other, with a player on our team or some other team," Jones explained.
Prescott's contract negotiations are not the only salary cap challenge facing the Cowboys. The team has already granted significant pay increases to Lamb and is likely to face pressure from other key players seeking new deals.
With a potential contract crunch on the horizon, the Cowboys must carefully navigate the salary cap landscape in order to retain their core players while also ensuring the team's long-term financial stability.
