NFL insider reveals why Dak Prescott has the upper hand in his contract talks with the Cowboys

Dak Prescott may have suffered another postseason failure this season, but he reportedly holds all the cards in contract extension talks with the Dallas Cowboys.

Dan Graziano of ESPN reported Prescott “can demand whatever he wants” in contract talks because of the structure of his current deal.

Prescott is set to count for $59.5 million on the Cowboys’ 2024 cap, an unmanageable number if the front office hopes to build a competitive team around its quarterback.

While the Cowboys could restructure Prescott’s deal and save around $18 million, that would only lower his cap hit to a still-unwieldy $41 million.

The 2024 season will be a make-or-break one in Dallas, with head coach Mike McCarthy playing out the final year of his contract.

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McCarthy has racked up a 1-3 playoff record with the Cowboys, including a blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers in this year’s Wild Card Round.

Prescott had one of the best regular seasons of his career in 2023, throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

It was a complete 180-degree turn from a miserable 2022 that saw Prescott throw a career-worst 15 interceptions and see his status as the team’s franchise quarterback go up in the air.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has vehemently said Prescott is his starting quarterback moving forward this offseason.

“Dak has done nothing to change my mind about any promise for the future,” Jones told reporters at the Senior Bowl.

“I think I’ve said in the deal that we will go as far as Dak takes us in the playoffs. Remember that. We will go as far as Dak takes us, and that is how far we went. So my point is, that doesn’t change a thing. We’ll go as far as Dak takes us.”

The going rate for a starting quarterback of Prescott’s caliber is around $55 million per season at this rate, Jones will have to break open the piggy bank to get a deal done.