It’s offseason again for the Dallas Cowboys, and they have a lot of decisions to make.
Jerry Jones and others will have to consider future contract extensions for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, but the most important decision will be what happens next with QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys franchise.
It will likely determine what the QB’s future will be.
Essentially, when it comes to Prescott, Jones and the Dallas Brass have three options for him.
It’s clear that some fans are done with the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, and the organization must make three important decisions this offseason, according to team official Mike Fisher.
It has reached a stage where it is no longer necessary.
As SI’s Mike Fisher recently pointed out, the first is to keep betting on Prescott, which would require him to become perhaps the highest-paid player in NFL history at $60 million a year.
right.
He will be signed to a long-term contract and become a “Cowboy for life.
” And Jerry Jones and the fan base are going to have to accept that.
The next and more likely option is that Jones and others would ask Prescott to reduce his intake, both to protect the cap and as a nod to the fact that he is not “the best player in the game.
” It’s something that can be persuaded.
.
There’s a good chance the Dallas Cowboys will try such a move, but would Dak Prescott be okay knowing what other top QBs are doing?
The next option is to cut or trade Prescott after June 1st.
Timing improves the cap effect a bit.
But the Cowboys’ $59 million quarterback still has to be paid.
By leaving Prescott, he will “save” $34 million and “gain” about $9 million in headroom in 2024.
Trading or releasing the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback would free up some needed cap space for next season, but Jerry Jones will be sitting on $25.
5 million in dead money in 2024, starting his 25th season.
will have to deal with losing an additional $36.
5 million.
Not ideal at all, but money may not be an issue if he makes up his mind.
NFL Writer Project Dallas Cowboys make shocking trade for Dak Prescott and Justin Fields
USA Today’s K.D.
Drummond presented a scenario in which the two sides cannot agree on a long-term extension.
In this scenario, Prescott may be willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to get a new lucrative contract elsewhere.
Drummond suggests the Chicago Bears could be open to acquiring Prescott for Justin Fields as part of a QB trade.
NFL analysts believe Chicago will need to invest more, starting at No.
9, to make this deal work.
“There is little risk in acquiring Fields.
His low salary in 2023 ($2.
3 million between base and roster bonuses) absorbs the $62 million cap hit from the Prescott trade.
” “This is the best-case scenario for.
.
.
” Drummond wrote in a Jan.
22, 2024 article titled “‘What if.
.
.
‘” ?
‘” Mock Draft: Cowboys, Bears trade Dak Prescott for Justin Fields.
” Drummond is a rookie QB with the Dallas Cowboys retaining QB Trey Lance with the top draft pick in this scenario.
I believe they have the potential to choose , or build around Fields.
“They can either keep the pick and take a QB, trade for a top QB, or stay there and acquire players at other positions and see if they pair with two young guys.
You can do it too.
Dallas now has two seasons of control over both Justin Fields and Lance, neither of whose fifth-year options need to be activated until after the draft, and Dallas currently has the No.
9 and No.
24 picks.
ing.
Dallas has endless opportunities.
”
Things get complicated here because there is a real scenario in which the Bears leave Fields.
Still, Chicago will likely elect to use one of its two top-10 picks (including the No.
1 pick) on a younger, cheaper quarterback.
Fields earned a 74.
6 grade from Pro Football Focus for his play this season.
By comparison, Prescott earned an excellent rating of 90.
8 from PFF in 2023.
Cowboys fans will be quick to point out that this doesn’t paint the whole picture.
The problem with the Prescott/Mike McCarthy pairing was not so much the duo’s performance during the regular season, but rather the lack of success in the postseason.
Fields is much more of an unknown in the NFL playoffs.
Justin Fields is more of a threat with his legs, starting 13 games this season with 657 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
This comes after Fields recorded a career-high 1,143 rushing yards and eight TDs in 2022.
Fields also threw for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions this season.
It’s fun to think about this scenario, and nothing is out of the question for the Dallas Cowboys, but it’s hard to imagine them moving on from Dak Prescott, with a long-term deal being the most likely scenario.
It is.
