Cowboys seem to be willing to let Dak Prescott hit the market in 2025
By opting for a modest kicking of the salary-cap can in 2024, the Cowboys embark on the last year of quarterback Dak Prescott's contract at a cap number of $55.455 million. With no ability to tag him in 2025, and no apparent inclination to extend the deal now, the Cowboys seem to be willing to let him finish the contract and see what happens.
Dak had tremendous leverage, if the Cowboys felt compelled to sign him to an extension. If, as it seems, they've decided to let things play out and take their chances in 2025, it gives him less power to squeeze from them a market-value deal. This approach eventually could defer to the actual market, which will value services via one or more teams that pursue him next year.
How much will someone offer him? Kirk Cousins left the Vikings this year for the Falcons. He's getting $45 million per year — $10 million per year less than the current high-end average. If Dak had hoped to use his sky-high cap number and his solid performance (in the regular season) to catch or beat the current maximum number of $55 million per year, the Cowboys quite possibly have decided to wait and see whether another team will make him that kind of an offer.
He'll still count for more than $50 million next year if he leaves. Re-signing him before the void triggers would help better control the dead money.
Maybe they will, maybe they won't. For now, they've decided not to let the fear of either his current cap number or his future departure force them to pay more than they want to pay. Come next March, Dak will have to decide whether to take the Cowboys' best offer or to start from scratch with a new team that will have a far lower national profile than the one for which he currently plays.
The first step, if that happens, will be for another team to offer him more than what the Cowboys are willing to pay.
