Jeremy Fowler: Cowboys still believe ‘firmly’ in Dak Prescott, committed to re-signing

Dak Prescott is due for a new contract next offseason, but fans shouldn’t expect him to be going anywhere, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Prescott signed a four-year, $160 million contract in 2021 — but what should he be expecting during negotiations over the next year? Prescott is currently tied as the 10th highest-paid quarterback in the league, but with the cash teams have been able to send their franchise QBs as of late, all signs point toward the Cowboys locking him up on a lucrative long-term deal.

“The money is gonna be crazy,” Fowler said on SportsCenter on Saturday morning. “So let’s start with Dak, I was told from a source of the team that the notion that the Cowboys don’t want to keep Dak Prescott beyond 2024 when he’ll be a free agent the next year is false. They still believe in him firmly.

“They want him long term but I would describe their pursuits at a contract extension so far as pretty passive. He’s got a $61 million cap hit this year. He’s got dead money next year. So he’s got a lot of leverage. So this will play out eventually, but they are committed to spending money trying to re-sign some guys, Dak included.”

Prescott himself recently admitted talks between him and Dallas are going to take time. Both sides have gone through the process with each other before and taken a while to get to the finish line. But Prescott is confident a deal will eventually be agreed upon.

He said that he is “definitely confident” that the extension will eventually get done, saying that it’s a “process” and that “both sides understand that,” before finishing up saying that everything behind the scenes are great and that the deal will eventually happen.

Prescott, 30, is coming off his best season to date in the NFL, leading the league with 36 touchdown passes. Prescott finished second in the NFL AP MVP Award voting, only behind Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Dallas went 12-5 for the third consecutive season but failed to win a playoff game. With the former fourth-rounder under center, the Cowboys are 2-5 in seven postseason games throughout his career.

High expectations will continue to follow Prescott as he enters year nine of his NFL career. If he stays with the Cowboys as reported, he’s being brought back with the expectation of bringing some postseason success to Dallas.