FRISCO, Texas — Contract negotiations involving star players and the Dallas Cowboys’ front office are often like riding a roller coaster.
One week, it may seem like owner and general manager Jerry Jones is Grand Canyon apart from whatever star he’s negotiating with. However, the talks can change in the blink of an eye and result in a fresh, long-term contract extension. All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is the latest example of that in Dallas. One week in early August, Jones was proud proclaiming that he had no sense of urgency re-sign the NFLs 2023 reception leader (135) during his extended holdout. Twenty days later, Lamb is back at practice with a four-year, $136 million contract extension.
“I feel like 24 hours can really change your life,” Lamb said Thursday. “Obviously it’s done that for me and the whole process that I went through.”
Now that Lamb’s deal is done, all of the focus is back on three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott’s extension negotiations as he is set to enter the final year of his current deal just days before Dallas hits the road to face the Cleveland Browns in a Week. 1. Prescott’s contract extension, or current lack thereof, has been a top story surrounding the Cowboys this entire offseason given the way other teams have handily extended their franchise quarterbacks this summer, many of whom don’t have the same production or experience that Prescott has.
The 31-year-old is coming off a 2023 season in which he became the first quarterback in Dallas history to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) straight, and his 105.9 passer rating, which ranked second best in the league, was a new career high. Prescott’s production translated to the Cowboys leading the NFL in scoring offense (29.9 points per game) in coach Mike McCarthy’s first season calling the offensive plays during his Dallas tenure as the Cowboys won 12 games and the NFC East title again. For both Jones and the front office as well as Prescott and his teammates, it would be best if this saga is resolved ASAP.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Lamb said when asked if it would help the timing if Dak’s deal was done before Week 1. “Obviously, Dak does a great job of not really bringing it into the workspace. But I know personally that it can cause you. He does a great job of guiding us in the right direction. He knows we’re rooting for him, me, the most, for sure. We’ve got to hurry up and get that done, so we can just put this behind us and go win more ballgames.”
What helps Prescott stay relaxed about these negotiations is that this is his second time watching Jerry and Stephen Jones, the team’s COO, and he won the last round, signing a four-year, $160 million extension in 2021. That deal came with a non-trade clause and a non-franchise tag clause, elements that provide Prescott with all the leverage this time. Whether Dallas re-signs him or not, Prescott has full control over where he plays in 2025, and he can enter unrestricted free agency with the Cowboys helpless to prevent him from doing so. That result would lead to him probably becoming the highest paid player in football. All that said, Lamb feels the two sides will come together again.
“This is Dak’s second contract, second time at the table,” Lamb said. “I know he’s very familiar with this and like Jerry [Jones] works I have no doubt that they will get the job done.”
Prescott himself knows the power he currently has in the negotiations, which allows him to stay present in his football preparation, but he acknowledged that the rest of the team not having to hear constant noise about his future could help the rest of the locker room .
“Maybe from a team aspect, yes,” Prescott said Thursday. “You know, I’ve always talked about how present I can be, but understand not everyone is able to do that, to be honest with you.”
A week ago, the quarterback indicated he would feel disrespected from the Jones family if the contract wasn’t done by the time kickoff rolls around Sunday in Cleveland. This week, he walked back his previously fraught remarks with a smile and a laugh when reminded of those comments.
“People change their feelings every day,” Prescott said with a laugh. “Can’t say I have the same feelings I had last week.”
That feeling then leads into the multi-million dollar question: Will a deal be done by Sunday afternoon?
“I’d say they’re working,” Prescott said. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily the timeline. I can’t say, ‘I’m going to put a timeline [agent] Todd [France] and Stephen [Jones] if we don’t succeed in this, this or that.’ But I know they are working.”
Prescott brushed aside a follow-up question about his feelings on whether both sides should continue hammering out the contract into Week 2 in the lead-up to the Cowboys’ home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
“I’m going to keep working,” Prescott said. “That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
Of course, the rest of his teammates are hopeful news in the next few days that their quarterback is re-signed for the foreseeable future. Cowboys Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith evoked memories of Terrell Owens talking about Prescott’s predecessor Tony Romo when talking about Dallas’ current passer.
“I’m extremely hopeful,” Smith said Thursday when asked about Prescott’s contract negotiations being resolved by Sunday. “Obviously, that’s not something I control or anything like that, but that’s my quarterback, that’s how I feel about it.”
“Dak is one of the most mentally strong people I know,” Cowboys and Prescott’s BFF Ezekiel Elliott said Thursday. “I think being in this situation kind of lights a fire under his tail, and it makes him more excited than his anxiety.”
Seven-time First Team All-Pro right guard Zack Martin is doing his best to help modernize the locker room on the job, but he echoed Elliott’s sentiments when discussing Prescott’s mental strength.
“Dak is as mentally strong as anybody in this locker room,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, he cares about what’s important. Right now what’s important is playing the Browns here in a few days.”
