He won't say how or when, but executive vice president Stephen Jones wants Dak Prescott on the Cowboys long into the future.
Dallas is expected to work out an offseason extension with Prescott, who is entering the final year of a contract that includes both a no-trade and no-tag clause, but given the albatross his $59.5 million cap hit currently is on the team's spending ability, questions will continue as to when a deal might take place.
“We won’t be expounding on those type of things with our negotiation," Jones told a scrum of reporters on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I mean, that’s obviously something as we move forward, hopefully we’ll continue to make progress and communicate. Sorry to tell you guys, but we’re not gonna be giving reports on how things are going.”
He went on to say again that he won't provide any "details, timing, amounts -- anything."
Jones intends to play things close to his chest out of respect for both parties, but he will be vocal about the end goal.
“Our whole thing with Dak is him being a Cowboy. That’s all that’s on our mind," Jones said when asked if Dallas would ever have to start thinking of life without the three-time Pro Bowler. "[We] certainly don’t get into those type of thoughts.”
Despite falling short in the playoffs once again, Prescott put together the finest season of his career in 2023. He led the NFL in completions with 410 and touchdowns passes with 36, and his 69.5 completion percentage and 105.9 passer rating were personal bests, all of which led to his second-place finish in MVP voting behind Lamar Jackson.
But the fact that his contract voids in 2025 and also blocks Dallas' ability to tag or trade him ups the stakes to extend him at a price commensurate with his performance before its too late.
Even if Jones won't address a timeline, there's a hefty need to get something done sooner rather than later.
The Cowboys are currently estimated to have the sixth-least cap space, no doubt in part to Prescott, who accounts for a whopping 22.8% of the team's 2024 cap.
Maneuverability to go all-in as owner Jerry Jones wants, either by locking up stars like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons or adding more through free agency, likely begins with easing the burden of Prescott's current contract by inking him to his next one.
“Well we’ve got ways to adjust his cap number for this year," Stephen Jones said of handling free agency with Prescott's cap hit. "We are, obviously, between Dak and between Micah and CeeDee, the salary cap is real for us with those three guys. [We’re] in a situation where we want to do deals with all three of them. Do you get to do everything you want to do with the salary cap? I don’t think any team does. But we’re certainly gonna be able to go out and go to work, and get the things done that we feel like we need to get done to be successful.”
As for Prescott's teammates, Lamb is slated to play on his fifth-year rookie option after leading the league with 135 receptions, while Parsons is in line to see his option picked up but has also earned a larger piece of the pie as Dallas' biggest playmaker on defense.
Jones made it clear Tuesday that keeping those three is Dallas' main priority, however difficult it proves with each one existing in the top echelon of their respective position.
"It’s always a challenge," he said. "When you start to have a lot of players that you're trying to pay top of the market, it's a challenge, but the cap has gone up tremendously. So to me, it's not a lot different. It's just how many guys you're trying to fit in there. And, to me, it's about players. ... Certainly that quarterback position, it's not unique to us. A lot of teams have it. I think when you project out probably through next year, there’s probably gonna be 16 quarterbacks making $40-plus million. So it’s real. And it's good because you have one."