Kirk Cousins was the rare longtime starting quarterback to hit the NFL's open market in 2024. Dak Prescott could be next in 2025. Despite recently expressing confidence in securing a new long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys, Prescott is now on track to play out his current contract in 2024, according to NFL Media, with no signs of an immediate extension.
Prescott and the Cowboys have "a mutual understanding of his contract situation," per Ian Rapoport, "with no offers from Dallas despite him being in a contract year." Team owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, said Tuesday at NFL owners meetings that the Cowboys "are where we are, locked and loaded for this year" in regards to a potential extension.
CBS Sports HQ Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson has since reported Dallas does, in fact, intend to reach a new deal with Prescott, and is "not presently charting a path to let" the quarterback test free agency in 2025, but noted no talks are "imminent."
The news marks a stark contrast to Prescott's own framing of the situation earlier this month, when the Pro Bowl quarterback told reporters he was "definitely confident" he'd strike a new deal with Dallas ahead of the 2024 season.
"Obviously it helps the team," he said at the time. "It's important for the (salary-cap) numbers. I've heard Jerry say that. ... Both sides understand that. Everything is great. It'll happen."
Since then, Jones has notably reversed course on the notion the Cowboys are "all in" on the 2024 campaign, revealing this week Dallas may have to "do more with (less)" as a result of financial obligations. Prescott, meanwhile, is owed more than $55 million in 2024 -- more than all but one other quarterback in the NFL -- as part of a four-year, $160 million extension he signed in 2021.
It should be noted that Prescott's current deal includes no-tag and no-trade clauses, meaning in the absence of an extension or an approved move to another team ahead of the trade deadline, the ninth-year veteran will hit free agency after the 2024 season.
Prescott had one of his most prolific seasons in 2023, leading the NFL with 36 touchdown passes while guiding Dallas to a third straight playoff appearance. He and the Cowboys went one-and-done in the postseason for the second time in three years, however, and he enters 2024 seeking just the third playoff victory of his entire career.
