In one sentence, Jerry Jones calmed the waters regarding Dak Prescott's future with the Dallas Cowboys. Questions have been circulating regarding Prescott and his future in Dallas since the Cowboys acquired former first-round pick Trey Lance via a trade with the 49ers late last month.
The Cowboys are excited to have Lance, but they remain committed to Prescott as the team's long-term starter.
"We expect Dak to be with us a long time," Jerry Jones said, via the team's website.
Jones added that he is open to extending Prescott's current deal once the regular season has started. Talks have not been tabled, Jones stressed, and they will not be once the Cowboys kick off the regular season this weekend in New York against the Giants. However, should Jones and Prescott's representation come to an agreement this week, his potential new deal could be finalized in mere minutes. Jones asserted his authority to formulate and approve trades without anyone else's approval, like the Trey Lance deal, given he is the Cowboys' owner and general manager. That power obviously also includes contract extensions.
"I didn't have to send it around," Jones said on 105.3FM The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday regarding his process on the trade for Lance, via The Athletic. "I can make that trade in 5 minutes."
Prescott, 30, is two years removed from signing his four-year, $160 million extension with the club. While there are still two years technically left on the deal, the Cowboys have a potential out after the 2023 season. As for what acquiring a former top-three NFL draft pick at his position who is athletic, 23 years old, and who couldn't beat out Sam Darnold for the San Francisco 49ers' backup quarterback job means for Prescott's future on his existing deal, the quarterback once again deferred to the Jones family.
"I believe that [those are just] talks, and those talks are in the office where business is handled, so there will come a time when that happens," Prescott said on August 26 after the Cowboys' 31-16 home win over the Las Vegas Raiders in their preseason finale, opting to not engage in a public negotiation for his long-term future with the team. "We're going to welcome Trey, and that's what you do for a teammate. I'm excited. I'm always there to help somebody, help a teammate. I'm a selfless person. So that's not going to change by any means."
A two-time Pro Bowler, Prescott has been the Cowboys' starting quarterback since 2016, his rookie season. He's posted a 61-36 regular season and 2-4 postseason record as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. In 12 games last season, Prescott (who missed five games with an injury), went 8-4 as the Cowboys' starter while throwing 23 touchdowns and a league-high 15 interceptions. He helped the Cowboys defeat the Buccaneers in the wild card round before Dallas came up short in San Francisco in the divisional round.
As far as Lance is concerned, Prescott wasn't surprised when the team acquired the former No. 3 overall pick.
"To be honest with you, I'm not surprised by anything anymore," Prescott said. "I've been in this league eight years on this team. It's hard to say that I was surprised to be honest with you. I understand it's a business. That's a first round of talent, and you're always trying to make your team better. That's the front office, so we're going to welcome him as we do any teammate. Hope he makes us better and continue to get back at him. We have one goal as a team [win the Super Bowl]."
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Even though other teams have told their incumbent starting quarterbacks about acquiring other young players at the position, like when the Minnesota Vikings informed Kirk Cousins they were selecting Kellen Mond in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones did not do such a thing with Dak Prescott. Not providing such a courtesy was the beginning of the end of future Hall of Fame quarterback and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy's former pupil Aaron Rodgers' historic tenure with the Green Bay Packers as the lack of communication sparked a divide between him and the team's front office. However, Prescott has a different outlook on his situation than Rodgers did after Green Bay traded up four spots in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Jordan Love 26th overall.
"I didn't expect to hear from Jerry on this beforehand, and as he would tell you, I can't say that I expected it," Prescott said. "I understand that that's business they're probably on a timeline and needed to get something done. And as I said, he felt like that strengthened this team. We are ready to welcome him, and we know the strength of the quarterback room that we have right now."
