The Dallas Cowboys went into the offseason hoping to get contract extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver CeeDee Lamb and cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Prescott has two more years left on the four-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021. But he has a $59 million cap hit in 2024, thus Cowboys want to get an extension done to lower the impact for them to sign other players, like Lamb and Diggs.
Diggs is in the final year of his contract. And while the team recently picked up his fifth-year option on Lamb’s deal, keeping him in the fold through 2024, they would like to get a long-term deal done with him lower his cap number, especially with a deal for edge rusher Micah Parsons looming on the horizon.
Training camp is less than two months away with the season starting in three months and nothing has been done.
But vice president Stephen Jones remains hopeful they can reach agreements before the season or during the season or one or two, if not all three.
“I feel like as we move forward it will all be about timing, but we feel like we can work within the parameters of the cap and make those type of things happen,” Jones said. “We want to work on all of the above, but we’ll just have to see how this thing plays out. You can’t dictate when things happen and the timing. It takes two sides.. But I wouldn’t say just because we don’t get it done by the start of the season doesn’t mean we’re not going to ultimately sign them.”
Of course, the longer the Cowboys wait, there is a good chance the price tag to sign them will continue to rise with the market.
Diggs will command a deal worth roughly $20 million a season; the market for Lamb likely starting at $25 million annually.
And then there’s the quarterback market for Prescott who is already making $40 million annually.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Philadelphia Eagles superstar Jalen Hurts lead the way at the position with new deals averaging $52 million and $51 million, respectively. And extensions are on the way for Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas Chiefs that will take the number even higher.
But Jones is undeterred
“It’s not daunting,” Jones said. “I think it’s doable. It’s just part of managing your football team, a part of managing the salary cap. But I certainly think it’s doable.”
“We’re already at a big number with Dak,” Jones added. “So, when the really daunting part comes is when you move them from a rookie contract to making the type of money quarterbacks make now.”
It’s just a matter of when.
