Monday and Tuesday at The Star brought a surge of excitement and relief for Dallas Cowboys fans as their cherished 2023 All-Pro wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, signed a four-year, $136 million extension. This pivotal move concludes Lamb's holdout, securing one of the NFL's elite pass-catchers for the foreseeable future.
With Lamb's contract settled, the focus now turns to another cornerstone of the Cowboys' offense—quarterback Dak Prescott. Entering the final year of his contract in 2024, Prescott's future remains a hot topic. His 2023 performance, leading the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns, reaffirms his critical role in the team’s offensive success.
Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, emphasized the importance of the upcoming season opener, underscoring the immediate priorities. "We’re continuing to, first of all, put all of our focus on what’s coming up here in the next 10 days, two weeks. That game [Week 1 at the Cleveland Browns] takes priority over anything," Jones stated.
However, the looming expiration of Prescott's contract cannot be ignored. His current contract includes both a no-franchise tag and a no-trade clause. Without an extension, Prescott will hit the open market by March 2025, a scenario that could significantly impact the Cowboys' long-term planning.
CeeDee Lamb expressed confidence in the ongoing negotiations. “You look at our numbers together, they're at the top of the charts. I have no doubt that they're going to get a deal done. We all know that I want Dak here. Jerry [Jones] wants Dak here, too, so let's just get this under control and kill the speculation and let's go win,” Lamb urged.
Financial Implications
Financial considerations are at the forefront of the contract discussions. Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, and Jordan Love currently hold contracts with the highest average annual salaries in the NFL, at $55 million per year. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have $39.6 million in effective cap space projected for 2025 and a projected $160.1 million in 2026. Managing this cap space under league restrictions presents a delicate balancing act for the Cowboys' front office.
Jones, known for his pragmatic approach to roster management, elaborated on the challenges. “You’ve always got to remind everybody that this is a zero-sum game. Any dollar one player gets is a dollar another one doesn’t get,” he explained. Furthermore, he noted, “If you can get the most and the best players out there for the least amount of the cap, you’re doing your very best job… Sometimes it’s worked out really well. Sometimes taking those risks will bite you.”
The Path Forward
The Cowboys’ quarterback situation beyond 2024 remains uncertain, with neither Cooper Rush nor Trey Lance under contract for 2025. Prescott himself mentioned that while there have been dialogues about his contract, he prefers to focus on the season. “There’ve been conversations back and forth, but for the most part, as y’all know, I let my agent (Todd France) handle that, especially as we get right here into training camp,” Prescott shared. He remains nonchalant about financial specifics, confident that “The money and all that will take care of itself as it always has.”
Jones, who purchased the Cowboys in 1989, faces familiar yet formidable challenges in maintaining a competitive roster under the NFL’s salary cap structure. The successful extension of CeeDee Lamb is a positive step, but ensuring Prescott's future with the team will be crucial for sustained success. The upcoming games and the outcome of these contract negotiations will undoubtedly shape the Cowboys' trajectory in the coming seasons.