The Dallas Cowboys will open their 2024 campaign on Sunday, and it doesn't appear that quarterback Dak Prescott will have a new long-term deal when they do.

"My understanding is, right now, is the two sides are not close," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday on NFL GameDay (at the 2:45 mark.)

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler also reported on Thursday that, per a source, it's "looking like free agency at this point" for Prescott, who is in the final year of his contract and cannot be franchise-tagged in 2025.

Testing free agency would make a ton of sense for the 31-year-old.

Thursday night's opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens will serve as a showcase of two of the NFL's top franchise quarterbacks—Patrick Mahomes is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, while Lamar Jackson is the reigning regular-season MVP.

Teams that don't have a franchise quarterback are searching for one, and while Prescott may not be Mahomes or Jackson, he is a franchise-caliber signal-caller. If the Cowboys won't give the three-time Pro Bowler a top-of-the-market deal, another team will.

Here, we'll examine the most logical landing spots for Prescott if he does, indeed, reach 2025 free agency.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders would be obvious suitors for Prescott if he becomes available in 2025. Las Vegas tried to make things work with journeyman quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022 and it's going to give it a go with Gardner Minshew this season.

Minshew beat out 223 fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell for the starting give, even though O'Connell seemed to be the more efficient quarterback during preseason play.

If Minshew doesn't provide a clear quarterback upgrade, new head coach Antonio Pierce probably won't hesitate to go back to O'Connell. Even if he does, he's not likely to stop Las Vegas from pursuing Prescott.

Minshew has been a serviceable starter when given the opportunity, but he's never been franchise-quarterback material. While he signed a two-year, $25 million deal this offseason, the Raiders could save $6.2 million in 2025 cap space by releasing Minshew with a post-June 1 designation.

Las Vegas is already projected to have $70.8 million in cap space next offseason, which could be a big deciding factor for Prescott. Given the unbalanced supply and demand of the quarterback market, Prescott is poised to become the highest-paid player in league history.

"According to a league source, if a deal gets done soon, it should be somewhere around four years, $240 million, putting him at $60 million per year," Ted Nguyen of The Athletic wrote.

The Raiders could afford to offer Prescott a market-topping contract—Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love each have deals worth $55 million annually. They could also give Prescott an opportunity to play with talented pass-catchers like Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams wouldn't be an obvious suitor for Prescott right now because they still have Matthew Stafford under contract through 2026. However, Stafford's contract situation will get very interesting after this year.

When Stafford agreed to restructure his deal in July, he essentially surrendered his 2025 guarantees to secure more guaranteed money upfront.

"Effectively, it's a one-year, $40 million deal. He gave up his other 2025 guarantees. Translation: Play this season and then all sides reassess," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero posted on X.

If the 36-year-old Stafford stays healthy and plays well this season, he and general manager Les Snead may reassess the sensibility of a new long-term contract. There's a slim possibility, though, that Stafford's assessment leads to a retirement decision.

This offseason, Stafford told Pardon My Take (h/t Yahoo's Vritti Johar) that he hopes to play for another three or four years. Of course, there are no guarantees in the NFL.

If Stafford doesn't return in 2025, Los Angeles will immediately become a top landing spot for Prescott. The Rams have a playoff-caliber roster, a quarterback-friendly coach in Sean McVay and enough financial flexibility to make a competitive contract offer.

L.A. is currently projected to have $51.1 million in 2025 cap space.

New Orleans Saints

Like the Rams, the New Orleans Saints should be considered a sleeper team in the impending Prescott sweepstakes.

The Saints, projected to be $96.2 million over the cap next offseason, would find it difficult to financially contend for Prescott's services. Of course, teams regularly find creative ways to create cap space, and a contract could be structured in a way that doesn't generate a massive 2025 hit.

The free-agent contract Kirk Cousins signed this offseason, while worth $45 million annually, only carries a $25 million cap hit in 2024.

New Orleans could save $20 million by releasing quarterback Derek Carr with a post-June 1 designation. That's a move the Saints may strongly consider if Carr can't lift them to the postseason this year.

Carr was signed last offseason to be the finishing piece of a very good roster. While he helped New Orleans win nine games during his first campaign, he didn't fare well enough to deliver a playoff berth.

Another underwhelming season could cause the Saints to move on from Carr and, possibly, head coach Dennis Allen. However, New Orleans would otherwise have a team capable of contending in the NFC South.

Prescott would be an upgrade over Carr, anyway, and could give the team the franchise quarterback it has lacked since Drew Brees' 2021 retirement. The Saints could offer a solid supporting cast and a homecoming of sorts to Prescott, who was born and played his high school ball in Louisiana.

New York Giants

This is going to be a make-or-break season for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. The 2019 first-round pick has only occasionally looked like a long-term answer at quarterback and has yet to emerge as a true franchise signal-caller.

Jones received a four-year, $160 million extension after he helped the Giants reach the playoffs in 2022. However, he wasn't exactly great that year (92.5 passer rating) and was a borderline disaster last year before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.

In six 2023 starts, Jones went 1-5, threw two touchdowns with six interceptions and posted a 70.5 quarterback rating.

Barring a significant turnaround in 2024, the Giants will be eager to move on from Jones—they can save $30.5 million in 2025 cap space by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation.

Even if Jones has a career year, it may not be good enough to secure his future or for New York to turn a blind eye toward Prescott's free agency.

2025 draft-eligible quarterbacks like Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers and Shedeur Sanders are intriguing but aren't considered "can't-miss" prospects. Prescott is a proven NFL commodity. Plus, stealing Prescott away from a hated division rival would be a coup for the Giants.

New York might not have the best overall roster to offer Prescott, but it could give him a promising young receiving corps, an offensive-minded head coach in Brian Daboll and a chance to haunt Jerry Jones and the Cowboys for their mishandling of his situation.

The Giants could also make Prescott a very competitive offer. Even with Jones' contract on the books, they're projected to have $44.2 million in 2025 cap space.

New York Jets

The New York Jets are in a situation similar to the Rams'. They have Aaron Rodgers under contract through 2025, and the future Hall of Famer doesn't plan for this to be his final season.

"I'm hopeful I can play two or three or four more years, but you need to have some good fortune in there to," Rodgers told the Look Into It podcast in March (h/t Ethan Greenberg of the Jets' official website).

The reality is, though, that we don't know how Rodgers will perform in 2024 or if the Jets will even want him back after the season concludes. Rodgers might return to Pro Bowl form, but he's coming off a torn Achilles and will turn 41 in December.

If things don't pan out with Rodgers this season, there's a non-zero chance that he, head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas are all gone in 2025. A new regime would then want its own signal-caller, and Prescott would probably be at the top of the wish list.

New York has a top-tier defense and young offensive building blocks like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and rookie tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu. It could become a perennial contender with a little long-term quarterback stability, and Prescott would be young enough to provide it.

The Jets are projected to have $92.2 million in cap space available next offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never experienced a losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin. However, they haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season either. 2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal season in Pittsburgh.

"We've had enough of this," franchise owner and team president Art Rooney II said in January, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "It's time to get some wins; it's time to take these next steps."

If Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields can't deliver a deep playoff run this season, it could be Prescott-or-bust for the Steelers in 2025. Neither quarterback is signed beyond this season, and, as previously mentioned, the 2025 quarterback class isn't full of sure things.

Pittsburgh is highly unlikely to finish with a record that will earn them a top 2025 draft selection anyway.

If Wilson or Fields doesn't perform well enough to justify a long-term investment, Prescott should be at the top of the Steelers' 2025 wish list. He'd provide the upper-echelon quarterback play Pittsburgh hasn't had since Ben Roethlisberger's prime, and he'd instantly place the Steelers among the AFC favorites.

The Steelers would have plenty to offer Prescott too. They have a stout defense, an elite head coach, a stable franchise and enough cap room to outbid every other likely suitor.

Only the New England Patriots, Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals are projected to have more cap space than the Steelers ($102.5 million) in 2025.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks aren't in the midst of a full-on rebuild, but they do have a new head coach in former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. If Macdonald can dramatically improve a defense that ranked 30th overall last season, Seattle should be right back in the playoff mix.

The Seahawks have some capable defensive pieces, like Leonard Williams, Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon and rookie Byron Murphy II. They also have some terrific offensive playmakers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Prescott could potentially be the final piece needed to put Seattle back in the Super Bowl picture.

Seattle currently has a Pro Bowl quarterback in Geno Smith. However, Smith will turn 34 in October and is a tier below Prescott, who was a legitimate MVP candidate last season. Smith is also only under contract through 2025 and could be a cap casualty next offseason if he doesn't help Seattle push deep into the postseason.

The Seahawks could save $25 million in 2025 cap space by releasing Smith with a post-June 1 designation.

Even if Smith performs well this season, pursuing Prescott would be a logical long-term play for Seattle. If Seattle must hand a hefty contract to one of the two veterans, the younger and more proven Prescott would be preferable.

While the Seahawks would have an easier time affording Prescott than New Orleans, it could still be financially complicated. Seattle is projected to have just $3.4 million in 2025 cap space, though dumping Smith would generate more flexibility.

Tennessee Titans

Give the Tennessee Titans credit. They don't know if 2023 second-round pick Will Levis can be their quarterback of the future, but they've made a strong effort to ensure he gets a fair audition in 2024.

Tennessee hired an offensive head coach in former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. It also signed receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in free agency before using a first-round pick on offensive tackle JC Latham.

The Titans might not have an elite offensive supporting cast, but they have a promising one. They should have an accurate read on Levis' NFL potential by the end of this season.

If Levis doesn't appear capable of keeping pace with young AFC South signal-callers C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Lawrence, going after Prescott would make loads of sense. He'd complement the recent offensive investments of general manager Ran Carthon and would immediately make Tennessee a factor in the divisional race.

While the Titans don't have a top-tier overall roster, the prospect of reuniting with running back Tony Pollard and throwing to players like Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins—though Hopkins is an impending free agent—could intrigue Prescott. So might playing behind an offensive line coached by one of the league's best, Bill Callahan.

Tennessee should also have enough financial flexibility to pursue Prescott and further upgrade its supporting cast in 2025. The Titans have $77.9 million in projected cap space.

Ideally, Levis will have a big Year 2 jump, and the Titans will put that money elsewhere. However, Prescott probably looms as Tennessee's backup plan.

*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.