Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys committed to Dak Prescott, open to extension

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Vincent Frank | Last updated 2/1/23

Despite his Dallas Cowboys winning 12 games during the regular season and earning a rare playoff victory, the 2022 season did not go too swimmingly for Dak Prescott.

Prescott led the NFL in interceptions with 15 during despite missing five games to injury.

In Dallas’ NFC divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Prescott threw another two interceptions. It was an ugly end to an odd off year for the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

At least on the NFL rumor mill, this led to speculation that Dallas could attempt to trade Prescott and find an upgrade at quarterback.

It doesn’t look like that is going to happen. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones says that the team is committed to Prescott long term. In fact, Dallas is willing to discuss a contract extension with the embattled quarterback.

There are a few different things that come to mind here. First off, Prescott’s down 2022 season doesn’t discount what he's done in the past.

After all, the Cowboys are 61-36 with Prescott as their starter since he joined the team as a fourth-round pick back in 2016. Secondly, the limited number of options available to Dallas as potential upgrades make finding a new QB impractical.

As of right now, Prescott has a cap number of $49.13 million for the 2023 season. That’s not sustainable with Dallas currently $7.6 million over the cap.

The Cowboys could save in the neighborhood of $22 million by restructuring Prescott’s deal. They could save even more if an extension is agreed to, with Prescott pushing back larger cap hits to future years while earning more guarantees.

Signed back in March of 2021, Prescott’s deal runs through the 2024 season with void years in 2025 and 2026. In addition to his large cap hit in 2023, Prescott is slated to count $49.13 million against Dallas’ overall figure in 2024.

By removing the void years and adding more seasons to his current deal, both cap numbers would decrease significantly.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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