Cowboys' Dak Prescott Says 'I Don't Play for Money' Amid Contract Extension Rumors

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott isn't letting his contract get in the way of his preparation for the 2024 season.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday from the site of Cowboys' OTAs, Prescott said "I don't play for money" when asked about balancing contract talks with trying to remain focused on the goals for the team.

"I would give it up to just play this game," he added. "I'll leave that to the business people to say what it's worth and what they're supposed to give a quarterback of my play, a person of my play and a leader of my [caliber]. I'll control what I can control, and the rest will take care of itself."

Much has been made of the Cowboys' apparent lack of urgency to get a new deal done with their star quarterback, who is entering the final season of his current contract.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in March they "don't need to" sign Prescott, but they "can if everybody wants to solve it."

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said last month on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk) that Prescott's deal "is a priority" for the organization before also bringing up Trey Lance and Cooper Rush:

"Certainly, we'll be taking a look at Trey. I know Trey will look at his situation as well, in terms of what his options are. I'm sure a lot of that will depend on how everything works out with Dak. Cooper has been a strong backup here for us. But all of those things will just have to play out."

The way NFL contracts, especially for quarterbacks, work suggests that getting a deal done sooner is ideal.

When Jalen Hurts signed his five-year, $255 million extension with the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2023, he was the highest-paid player in NFL history. By the time the 2023 regular season started, he already moved down to fourth on the quarterback rankings because Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson signed extensions after him.

Hurts is currently the fifth-highest paid quarterback after Jared Goff got a new deal from the Detroit Lions earlier this month.

Of course, delaying talks could also be part of a deliberate strategy by Prescott to maximize his earning potential. His current deal with the Cowboys includes a no-tag clause that will allow him to hit true free agency next offseason before he turns 32.

Even though Prescott may not play for money, it's hard not to be enticed by the possibility of what type of deal he could get if multiple teams can present him with offers. Kirk Cousins parlayed his leverage in 2018 into getting the first fully guaranteed deal in NFL history from the Minnesota Vikings.

Prescott has been a better quarterback over the course of his career than Cousins was at the time of that deal. Prescott finished second in MVP voting last season after throwing for 4,516 yards and an NFL-high 36 touchdowns.

The Cowboys have won 12 games and made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, but they are 1-3 in four postseason games during that span.