After getting CeeDee Lamb's contract extension done, the Dallas Cowboys will now be able to give their full attention to Dak Prescott.
On the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast (starts at 5:40 mark), The Athletic's Dianna Russini said talks between the Cowboys and Prescott's camp are "going really well" even though they aren't necessarily talking every day.
Russini added there is no set deadline to get a deal done before either the Cowboys or Prescott would cut off discussions.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Lamb agreed to a four-year, $136 million extension on Monday that ends his holdout and makes him the second-highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
It's unclear if these talks mean there is any actual progress being made toward an agreement.
Schefter said on SportsCenter following Lamb's deal that the Cowboys are not "any closer" to extending either Prescott or Micah Parsons:
"It has not felt like there's been a real sense of urgency to get a deal done. And the urgency helped them today with CeeDee Lamb, but it has not really been there, nor should it be there with Dak Prescott nor Micah Parsons. So those two situations continue to linger on. And now that Dallas has reached the agreement with CeeDee Lamb, it can take some of the attention that it was devoting to their wide receiver and now begin to focus it on the quarterback and the elite defensive player that Micah Parsons is. But it doesn't appear at this time that a deal with either one of those players—Parsons or Prescott—is any closer despite the fact that CeeDee Lamb now has an agreement to keep him in Dallas for the next five years."
Prescott would seem to be the top priority because he's set to become a free agent after this season with a no-tag clause in his current contract.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has suggested he doesn't anticipate getting a deal done with Prescott.
These things can change quickly if the team wants to meet the player's asking price. It wasn't that long ago when Lamb was responding to Jones on social media about the state of their negotiations.
Prescott's contract figures to be more complicated than what Lamb agreed to or what Parsons could get because of the value of quarterbacks and the leverage he has over the Cowboys.
If Prescott were to hit the open market next offseason, there has been some speculation he could get a deal worth $70 million per season. For perspective, the highest average annual salary for a quarterback is currently $55 million for Joe Burrow, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence.
The Cowboys have shown they have no problem dragging negotiations out as long as possible. Even before the Lamb situation this offseason, they waited until the first week of September to sign Ezekiel Elliott to the richest contract for a running back in 2019.
This appears to be a strategy that Jones and the front office are comfortable working under. It doesn't seem to help their side in negotiations, but they do find a way to keep their stars.
Prescott is entering his ninth season with the Cowboys. He finished second in MVP voting last season after throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns in 17 games.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation