Domonique Foxworth claims the Cowboys have ‘mismanaged’ the Dak Prescott contract amid a silent free-agency

Foxworth questioned why the Cowboys were taking so long to extend Prescott’s contract when Jerry Jones revealed he was all in with the quarterback.

Domonique Foxworth uttered the same words he has several times before on Get Up: The Dallas Cowboys made a mistake by taking too long to extend Dak Prescott‘s contract. Foxworth argued that the Cowboys are repeating the same mistake from four years ago.

The Dallas Cowboys have yet to make any blockbuster moves (barring linebacker Eric Kendricks) in 2024 free agency. Even though owner Jerry Jones claimed that it’s the usual strategy, football analysts, on the other hand, have claimed a different reason. Their hunch is that the Dak Prescott extension has bound Jones’ hands from adding quality reinforcements.

Foxworth ranted:

I warned them about years ago, when they were franchising Dak and messing around with his contract. I think this is mismanagement, honestly. How they ended up in a situation when you had a quarterback that you knew was going to be here for a long time. You sign him to a deal as early as you possibly can. 

Domonique Foxworth said on Get Up

Dak Prescott‘s rookie contract came to an end in 2020. In the meantime, he had received two Pro Bowl nods but only one post-season win from three tries. So the Cowboys were unsure whether to give him a long-term deal, eventually deciding to tag him for one year by penning a $33 million deal instead of a non-exclusive $28 million deal.

The Dallas Cowboys were back to square one after the 2021 season ended. Per CBS Sports, they were close to tagging for the second time for $37.6 million. However, Jones opted for a four-year, $160 million deal (a franchise record).

The Cowboys restructured Dak Prescott’s contract

Amidst all the criticism of not making adequate use of free agency, the Cowboys announced the restructuring of Dak Prescott‘s existing contract, which will run until the end of the 2024 season.

Dak Prescott (Image via IMAGO)
Going by his original four-year deal, the 30-year-old would have earned $59.5 million. However, the recent changes to his contacts brought that down to $54.5 million, saving the Cowboys $5 million on salary cap space. They converted the roster bonus into a salary bonus.

Furthermore, two more voidable years were added to the contract (2027 and 2028). As a result, it pushed Prescott’s salary number up in 2025 to $40 million. He is still on track to have the second biggest cap hit after Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Currently, the Cowboys have $8.5 million to work with in free agency. Unfortunately, most of the good names keep dropping off the chart. While Jones can keep playing the waiting game, lowering the value of some of the players available for picking, they might not be able to address all the important vacant spots. This leaves the NFL draft as an option.