Breaking: If not now, when for Dak Prescott and a Cowboys Super Bowl?
The words are there for all the Dallas Cowboys to see every day: Carpe Omnia.
Coach Mike McCarthy chose the Latin phrase “seize everything” as the Cowboys’ motto for 2023. It’s surrounded by a collage of images in the main hallway outside their locker room.
In the upper-left corner is a huddle full of Cowboys and the Vince Lombardi Trophy hanging over the group. In the middle are photos of the Cowboys’ five Super Bowl champion teams. A blank spot is left in the middle for the 2023 Cowboys. “Credit Mike for making that the theme of this season, and it’s been something that we’ve pointed to at different parts of the year — and right now it’s bigger than ever,” quarterback Dak Prescott said.
These Cowboys have to seize everything as they start their postseason journey against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox).
This is their best chance in years to recapture that Super Bowl magic, in part because there isn’t an Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Drew Brees to go through. But when considering the Cowboys’ salary cap, impending free agent decisions, the draft, front-office and coaching futures, this is an all-in postseason for Dallas. That doesn’t mean the Cowboys will fall apart in 2024 and beyond, but windows of opportunity last only so long.
Cowboys
“This is why you play the game,” said cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who is back in the postseason for the first time since 2019 after winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2018. “It’s do or die now.”
THE COWBOYS ARE back in the playoffs for the third straight season. They have not done that since the 1990s dynasty teams that delivered three of the franchise’s five Super Bowl wins with Hall of Fame talents such as Troy Aikman, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
But what are the 2023 Cowboys?
In defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, guard Zack Martin and tackle Tyron Smith, they have a core of veteran players who have experienced five playoff heartbreaks. Prescott has been around for four. They traded for two players with Super Bowl experience — receiver Brandin Cooks and Gilmore — in hopes of getting over the massive hump that seems to be the divisional round of the playoffs.
Dak Prescott
They have players with four or fewer years of experience who are among the best in the NFL at their positions: receiver CeeDee Lamb, linebacker Micah Parsons and guard Tyler Smith. But while this roster may be ready to compete for a Super Bowl this season, maintaining this level of talent for the long term won’t be simple.
THE COWBOYS HAVE significant salary cap problems to resolve. They have almost $258 million committed to 48 players against the 2024 cap, according to Roster Management System. The 2023 salary cap is $224.8 million; however, the 2024 salary ceiling is not fixed and usually increases from the previous year. Prescott’s cap amount is $59.4 million. Almost every possible problem might be resolved with a contract extension for him. Should the Cowboys sign what might be the biggest contract in NFL history for a quarterback who hasn’t made it to the Super Bowl in his first eight seasons as the starter if they don’t win the Super Bowl this season? Owner and general manager Jerry Jones, as well as executive vice president Stephen Jones, have consistently said they want Prescott to be the quarterback well into the future. Prescott, who turned 30 in July, had his best season — an NFL-leading 36 touchdown passes and nine interceptions after tying for the league lead in interceptions with 15 in 2022 despite missing five games — but will this be the year he puts together a postseason as good as his regular season?
Jerry Jones is not worried about the cost.
“That really has not crossed my mind. Just as when we were wanting him to have more success, or to exhibit more success, [that] I thought about it driving down the price,” Jones said. “[Worrying about paying Prescott] doesn’t cross my mind.Like everyone else, I want him to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. That would be in opposition to all we stand for. We want to win the Super Bowl, and with him starting at quarterback and performing at that caliber, obviously our chances are higher.” The Cowboys would prefer to extend the contracts of Lamb and Parsons, who are, at the very least, the highest paid players in their positions, in addition to Prescott. Having taken up his fifth-year option during the previous off-season, Lamb is signed through 2024. This spring, the Cowboys will select Parsons’ fifth-year option for 2025.
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