Dak Prescott won’t talk Cowboys deal until after the season

Free agent-to-be quarterback Dak Prescott tells Cowboys a new deal will have to wait until after the season

The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott appear headed toward a Texas-sized contract dispute this offseason.

Prescott, a potential free agent after the season, has told the Cowboys that he won’t negotiate a contract extension with the team the rest of the year, according to a report by CBS’s Jason La Canfora. Prescott is on the final year of his rookie contract that pays him just $2.025 million, 23rd among quarterbacks.

The two sides attempted to avoid a stalemate last offseason but were unable to reach a deal. The Cowboys offered Prescott a deal worth upward of $30 million per season, on par with the deals given to quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. Prescott was reportedly looking for $40 million, which would’ve made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

It seemed like a bold strategy for the fourth-year quarterback at the start of the season, but Prescott has shown this season that he’s worth such a colossal deal. He leads the NFL in passing attempts and yards this season and has already thrown a career-high 23 touchdowns with four games still to play. He has overtaken running back Ezekiel Elliott as the prime focus of the Cowboys offense. Over the past five weeks, Prescott has attempted 209 passes compared to Elliott’s 92 touches.

Should the Cowboys and Prescott fail to agree to an extension after the season, the Cowboys will be put in the position of having to franchise tag their star quarterback. Last year the franchise tag for quarterbacks was $24.8 million. They have room to be able to afford the cap hit; the Cowboys currently have $89 million in cap space to work with for 2020.

The Cowboys went through a lengthy dispute last year with Elliott, with the All-Pro running back ending his holdout just days before the beginning of the season. Prescott’s refusal to negotiate further with them opens up the possibility they will have to go through it all over again.

Dallas is coming off a 26-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving despite Prescott throwing for 355 yards and two touchdowns. At 6-6 on the year, they hold a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East lead.