Cowboys' Stephen Jones on Dak Prescott Contract Talks: 'Think We Can Get This Done'

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is optimistic they will eventually get a contract extension done with quarterback Dak Prescott.

Appearing on the Scoop City podcast (starts at 31:00 mark), Jones said deals of this magnitude can "take time" but "we think we can get this done" eventually:

"When you start stacking them up like that, you know, it's a challenge," he said. "It's not that it's not doable, but you certainly got to have some give and take if you want to do that. I know the Vikings there with Jefferson when they made that inordinate deal at the receiver spot. You know, they don't have one player on their team other than Jefferson making over $20 million.

"And, of course, we've got a big one in Dak. And we got (Trevon) Diggs right there. And then you got Zack Martin and (DeMarcus Lawrence). And so we got a lot of guys making you know quite a bit of money. And you know that's no excuses. We think we can get this done, know we can get it done. But it just takes time."

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Prescott could be seeking a deal worth at least $60 million per season.

Prescott's contract has been the primary focus of everything that has happened with the Cowboys this offseason, but they have multiple star players seeking new deals right now.

CeeDee Lamb is entering the final season of his rookie contract. There's speculation he could decide to hold-in when training camp begins to avoid accruing fines, but not practice with the team while waiting for an extension to get done.

Micah Parsons is eligible for an extension, but he doesn't have as much leverage as Lamb or Parsons with two years remaining on his rookie deal.

The importance of the quarterback position means that Prescott will get more attention than the other players. He also has as much leverage as any player has ever had to get whatever he wants because his camp brilliantly negotiated his current contract that was signed in March 2021 to give him a no-tag clause.

Top-tier quarterbacks who hit true free agency are extremely rare in the NFL. The last time it happened was four years ago when Brady, who had a no-tag clause in his deal with the New England Patriots, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That was a special circumstance because the Patriots were likely not counting on Brady being an MVP-caliber player at that point given his age.

Kirk Cousins might be closer in terms of talent and career accomplishments to Prescott, but he hit free agency this offseason as a 36-year-old who tore his Achilles in October. He still managed to snag a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed from the Atlanta Falcons.

Prescott will only be 31 going into the 2025 season. He 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. They haven't advanced beyond the divisional round in the postseason since winning Super Bowl 30 in January 1996.