Loophole in Dak Prescott’s contract shows why Cowboys don’t have to extend 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.
While this would be smart, the Cowboys will probably give Prescott a new contract.
Per Over The Cap, an extension saves slightly more cap room ($26.32M). OTC estimates Dallas is $19.74M over the cap.
The Cowboys aren’t in a position to find a potential replacement, either.
They have the 24th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, so all the top QB prospects should be off the board.
Dallas also wants to avoid souring its relationship with Prescott.
If he becomes a free agent in 2025, the Cowboys can’t franchise tag him since his contract has a no-tag clause. He also has a no-trade clause.
The 30-year-old is still in his prime and coming off of one of the best seasons in his eight-year career.
In 17 games, he finished first in the league in passing TDs (36), second in QBR (72.7) and third in passing yards (4,516).
Even with the lacklustre postseason record (2–5), Dallas gains stability by keeping their reliable starting quarterback.
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