A gap in Dak Prescott’s deal demonstrates why the Cowboys do not need to extend the QB.

The general consensus is that in order to conserve budget room, the Cowboys must extend quarterback Dak Prescott. But there’s a clause in his contract that provides Dallas extra power.

According to Micahel Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News, Prescott’s four-year, $160 million contract was extended by the Cowboys to include two vacant years (2025 and 2026). By using these, they can turn his pay into a signing bonus, freeing up cap space and increasing their financial flexibility.

Dallas was able to accomplish this over the previous offseason. Gehlken estimates that by doing this, Dallas would free up $18.53 million in salary space and Prescott’s cap number would drop from $59.46 million to $40.93 million.

Despite the fact that this makes logic, Prescott will probably sign a new deal with the Cowboys. Over The Cap estimates that an extension saves a little more cap room ($26.32M). Dallas exceeds the cap by $197,74 million based on OTC projections.

The Cowboys are also unable to find a potential successor. The top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft should all fall short of selection because they have the 24th overall pick.

Additionally, Dallas does not want to lose its goodwill toward Prescott. The Cowboys are unable to franchise tag him if he becomes a free agent in 2025 because of a no-tag condition in his contract. He’s got a no-trade clause as well.

After one of his best seasons in his eight-year career, the 30-year-old is still in the peak of his career. He led the league in throwing touchdowns (36) and QBR (72.7) in 17 games, and he ended third in passing yards (4,516).