It was not even two years ago that the Cowboys franchise quarterback and NFL All-Pro, Dak Prescott, signed a massive four-year, $240M contract extension. However, we may be just one season away from the team negotiating another long-term deal with Prescott.
At first glance, that sounds ridiculous; how are we already talking about another Prescott contract when the ink on the last one still feels fresh? For the Dallas fans who aren’t the biggest fans of the longtime QB, the last contract is probably still a sore spot.
Unfortunately for those fans, that is the reality of having a franchise quarterback in today’s NFL.
Prescott is coming off a strong 2025 season, throwing for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, and if he shows this season that he’s still playing at that level, the conversations will start because of the salary cap situation that will go down if they don’t.
After the Cowboys restructured Prescott’s deal, his number is set to jump to over $75M in 2027 and over $85M in 2028; that is an absurd amount of money for one player to count against the cap, even when that player is your starting quarterback, and you can bet Dallas will find a way to avoid that hit.
The only real way to do that is a contract extension.
A new deal would be about pushing money around, lowering those short-term cap hits, and giving the front office more room to actually build around him, not just be about keeping Prescott in Dallas for longer.
The Cowboys, for all their struggles of late, have some huge contracts already on the books, and some fantastic players that will soon need their share of that pie. Some fans will argue Prescott’s presence sets the team back, but eating those cap hits to avoid an extension indisputably hurts the team far more.
Not to mention, he is actually worth adding years to, if he can remain healthy for the 2026 season. Prescott, like Tony Romo before him, seems to be improving with age and IQ; he is the catalyst behind all of their offense’s success, regardless of who is at wide receiver.
Dak Prescott owns the NFC East 👑
Prescott has a 37-10 record against the Eagles, Giants, and Commanders in his career. pic.twitter.com/z4IzbqBWyv
— SleeperCowboys (@SleeperCowboys) June 22, 2026
In conclusion, the Cowboys already know they are paying him either way. The question is whether they want to sit there with one of the harshest cap hits in football, or use another extension to make the situation more manageable.
If Prescott delivers again in 2026, the answer should be obvious.
