The Dallas Cowboys did this to themselves.
Their franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott, who just finished second in MVP voting is entering a contract year with a no-tag and no-trade clause in his contract in the same year in which the salary cap made an unprecedented $30 million jump. He's got all the leverage imaginable in his side while all the Cowboys seem to have is Trey Lance, a quarterback who has attempted 132 passes total since 2020.
Beyond his leverage, Dak is currently witnessing a lack of clarity on the direction of the team he's on. Head coach Mike McCarthy and recently brought in defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer are both on one-year deals. In the meantime, Micah Parsons' and CeeDee Lamb's representatives didn't sit down with the Cowboys at the NFL Scouting Combine to talk despite being set to hit free agency in 2025.
Speaking of not meeting with agents, Prescott's agent Todd France reportedly didn't meet with Dallas at Indianapolis. The Cowboys' version of events seems to be that in-person negotiations aren't necessary, which is a laughable notion considering we're talking about deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The reality is likelier to be they're playing hardball with their stars, starting with the quarterback.
All of this combined with the lack of direction mentioned above sets the table for a nightmare scenario before the 2024 NFL season: A Dak Prescott hold out.
Could Dak Prescott really hold out during the 2024 NFL offseason?
Prescott's work ethic and leadership will make it difficult for this to happen but at some point, his agent should absolutely push for him to take this route. If the Cowboys' front office is going to do things this way, why not use that as leverage?
If the Cowboys had a clear, solid plan in place to build something successful for 2024, things perhaps would be different. But as of right now, the Cowboys are reportedly letting go Dak's Hall of Famer left tackle Tyron Smith all while there's little hope that they become big spenders in free agency this March.
All of this while Dallas is letting the media know a Prescott extension is "not promised," a recent report on the Dallas Morning News.
Holding out is always much harder for a quarterback to do and Prescott's camp would have a tough time convincing him to go down this path but if there's not any advancement in negotiations for a deal Jerry Jones is claiming they "don't need," it'll be time to show those pocket aces.
Last year, a crucial element of the Cowboys' success is how locked in Dak was with his receivers in the offseason, including offseason work with CeeDee Lamb. How will the offense look like if the offense is practicing without its quarterback through training camp?
Even if they can't realize it because of a front office that prefers to negotiate through the media, it's in their best interest to extend Prescott sooner rather than later.
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