Prescott has the negotiating power with his trade veto clause and the inability of the Cowboys to apply the franchise tag to him in 2025.
FRISCO, Texas – As we wait and wonder when or if the Dallas Cowboys will reach an agreement on an extension in 2024, let’s walk through what some would consider the worst case scenario. The quarterback does not sign an extension between now and next January, preparing to declare himself an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
First of all, here are some ways you could get there:
Los Cowboys They qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, hoping to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.
To achieve it, Prescott He should have another great season, similar to his 2023 achievements when he led the NFL in touchdown passes with 36 and threw for 4,516 yards. Considering the current state of the roster, it will probably be Prescott’s best season because he Cowboys They must replace left tackle Tyron Smith, the center Tyler Biadasz, the corridor Tony Pollard and the receiver Michael Gallup.
Prescott will look to have another great season, similar to his achievements in 2023 when he led the NFL in touchdown passes. Getty Images
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Los Cowboys They are out of the playoffs, but Prescott He has a season within his average parameters: 25 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He plays well enough to justify his new contract, but the roster has too many holes to return to the postseason.
What comes next?
It will be a mad dash at full speed from the conclusion of the regular season until March 12, the start of the 2025 league year, for the Cowboys sign a new contract with Prescott.
For all these reasons, this is the deadline of all deadlines.
If you do not have a new contract by then, Prescott will impact at least $40.46 million against the 2025 salary cap, and will not be on the roster of the Cowboys.
With a contract signed before then, the impact of Prescott against the salary cap would be a minimum of $25 million as a result of the restructurings used by the Cowboys on his current contract, including converting his $5 million roster bonus earlier this month. Add the annual proration of a new signing bonus plus his base salary, and the impact of Prescott the salary cap after an extension exceeds $40 million by 2025.
Last January, we presented the Cowboys’ three options on Prescott’s contract in 2024: do nothing, add voidable years to his contract or sign a significant extension.
However, they have not done much to activate the second option and very little with the third. They added voidable years to his contract, through 2028, after converting his roster bonus, but in the end they didn’t do much else.
They can still restructure his contract by converting his $29 million base salary into a bonus and free up approximately $18 million in cap space. They haven’t done it yet and with the big free agent market closed, it would make more sense to keep the contract as it is. If they manage to restructure the base salary, Prescott It would impact the 2025 salary cap by around $58 million if he did not have an extension before the start of the next league year.
After the recent conversion of their bonus roster, Prescott It impacts the 2024 salary cap at $55.45 million instead of $59.45 million.
Based on everything from owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones this offseason, the Cowboys weren’t going to make much of a presence in the free agent market despite their significant cap room to make additions. It’s not about what they want to do, although planning for this year’s free agency has been even slower than in recent years. The Cowboys’ only addition so far is linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Prescott He has the negotiating power with his trade veto clause and the inability of the Cowboys to apply the franchise tag to him in 2025.
Los Cowboys They can aspire to a contract on friendly terms for the team; However, they expected to complete it for 2019, 2020 and 2021 and it did not happen. Prescott and his agent Todd France played their part perfectly in the negotiations with their quarterback, maximizing his 2021 pact (four years, $160 million) while being able to have the upper hand again when it expires, after the 2024 season.
Los Cowboys They will make a risky bet if they fail to finalize the contractual extension with Prescott at the beginning of the 2025 league year.
How many available quarterbacks would be better than Prescott? Probably none.
And Prescott can’t get them to Super Bowl After nine years as their starting quarterback, it would be fair for the Cowboys to wonder if he’ll be able to do it again with them.
Furthermore, how many teams will be looking for a quarterback in the 2025 market, especially considering the teams that will be selecting quarterbacks early in the upcoming draft?
Virtually all of these teams have contingency plans that they would activate depending on what happens in 2024: the Pittsburgh Steelers (if it doesn’t work out with Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields), Tennessee Titans (if it doesn’t work out with Will Levis), Las Vegas Raiders , New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams (if Matthew Stafford retires), Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants (if they don’t take a quarterback in the first round of the draft) and Denver Broncos (see the case of the Giants).
How many will be able to satisfy Prescott’s contractual demands? Certainly not all. What teams would be Prescott’s preferred destinations? Obviously, not all.
If Prescott leads the Cowboys still Super Bowlthe family Jones She will be happy to pay you whatever you want.
It’s a game of risks. And we have the next 11 months to see how it plays out.
2024-03-28 18:15:00
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