Dallas Cowboys offseason: The Dak Prescott top of market extension feels inevitable given all details.
This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys will have to make a lot of difficult choices. It goes without saying that the Cowboys must first and foremost decide how they feel about their leadership, since everything else is only a series of dominoes waiting to have the first one to fall. However, we are still in the midst of uncertainty until a decision has been made there.
But eventually, the Cowboys will find a solution for their head coaching predicament and can concentrate on assembling a team that won’t let them down in the postseason. If only it were that simple.
Although every offseason is the same, this one is particularly important for the Cowboys since they have some extremely big deals to finish off. As things stand, Micah Parsons is qualified for an extension for the first time in his career, and CeeDee Lamb will enter the 2024 season in the last year of his rookie deal. Both should receive hefty salaries in the upcoming months, according to logic.
However, the Cowboys will almost certainly extend their current contract, and while Parsons may become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, Dak Prescott is more likely to become the highest-paid athlete of all time.
Brace yourselves.
The Dak Prescott top of market extension feels inevitable given all details
What we are about to discuss is a list of facts. Whatever conclusion you would like to make as a result of them all is up to you.
Fact Number 1: CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are both likely going to get paid this offseason
Bad job by me in starting off our list of “facts” with speculation, but this feels factual. There is no way that the Cowboys should let themselves even get to Oxnard with Lamb not having a long-term deal in place and given that Parsons has been exemplary throughout his first three seasons and can finally cash in on that, he may not even show up to California without a secured bag in hand.
Acknowledging that this is a probable reality, consider what the highest paid players at wide receiver and edge rusher make on an annual average basis as this offseason begins.
Top 5 highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL (AAV)
- Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins ($30M per year)
- Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders ($28M per year)
- Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams ($26.7M per year)
- A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles ($25M per year)
- Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills/D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks ($24M per year)
Keep in mind that the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals are going to be dealing with the wide receiver market this offseason as Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase are both likely ready to sign second contracts. The price will continue to soar.
Top 5 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL (AAV)
- Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49rs ($34M per year)
- T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers ($28M per year)
- Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers ($27M per year)
- Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns ($25M per year)
- Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears ($24.5M per year)
Bosa is the most relatable comparison for Parsons and the most recent one of this group to get paid as he did right before the season began. It is not hard to see how this is going to be an incredibly expensive offseason for the Cowboys.
Fact Number 2: The Cowboys will need financial flexibility which a Dak Prescott extension not only can provide but is almost necessary to provide
At this moment in time, Dak Prescott’s cap number for 2024 is just south of $60M. That is not tenable for the franchise to absorb in general let alone as a result of the pending Lamb and Parsons deals, as well as literally everything else they will need/want to do in terms of shaping their roster.
The only way that Dallas can lower this number is by way of an extension and obviously Prescott is only going to (assuming here, but a safe one) be if he is compensated properly. This means a top of market deal.
Top 5 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL (AAV)
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals ($55M per year)
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers ($52.5M per year)
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens ($52M per year)
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles ($51M per year)
- Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos ($49M per year)
These are obviously some incredible numbers, but they will look pedestrian this offseason in all likelihood. Consider that the top four here are all
deals that were negotiated between the beginning of last offseason and the 2023 regular season starting. All four of them have annual average salaries in the 50s and soon enough the NFL will likely see someone in the 60s.
Is Dak the person in question? It appears highly likely, for sure. The Cowboys are in a lose-lose situation because of his no trade clause, which
prevents them from moving on from him, and his no tag clause, which means that even if they decide to ride this out, they run the risk of him
leaving for nothing the following season. This is in addition to the fact that they need the cap space that an extension with him can provide.
To put it plainly, Prescott is in complete control. Oh, and he had a fantastic season (the playoff loss was obviously awful).
Whatever the case may be, experts on NFL wage caps concur that all of this does seem likely. A rough estimate of $60 million a year with $250 million in guarantees was made.
Once more, the facts of Dak Prescott’s (and others’) contractual position with the Dallas Cowboys are under discussion. It’s clear from all the evidence that the quarterback will most likely sign the largest contract in professional football history. People are going to yell. There will be mayhem. However, it does appear to be inevitable.
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