3 Cowboys who won’t be back if Dak Prescott actually ‘resets the market’

The quarterback position is the most important in the NFL, and franchise signal-callers get paid in a way that is emblematic of their value to team success. However, it makes filling out the rest of the roster and maintaining an influx of talent across the board a challenge.

Patrick Mahomes became the first quarterback in league history to guide his team to a Super Bowl victory while having the largest cap hit on the roster according to FanDuel TV’s Kay Adams, illustrating how the margin for error gets razor-thin if one player makes a substantial amount of money.

The Dallas Cowboys could soon be finding themselves in a similar situation based on reports that franchise quarterback Dak Prescott will “reset” the market with his next contract, per Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Schultz believes that Prescott “is going to command somewhere along the lines of $60 million per year,” while noting the Cowboys still have other extension-eligible players who need to be taken care of, such as All-Pro franchise cornerstones Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb.

That being said, Dallas will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, potentially needing to move on from supporting cast players in preparation for the lucrative contracts their stars demand.

These three Cowboys will become expendable if/when Prescott resets the quarterback market.

3. Brandin Cooks

Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks is no stranger to switching teams. Since entering the league in 2014, Cooks has been traded four times, tying an NFL record – not including the team that drafted him (New Orleans Saints) moving up in the first round to select him.

Cooks has never spent more than three seasons with a franchise in his 10-year career, but he hasn’t let that impact his efforts on the field, serving as a consistent wideout and legitimate deep threat every stop along the way.

He’s eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards with four different teams, joining former wide receiver Brandon Marshall as the only player to accomplish that, while surpassing that mark in six of his first eight seasons.

However, Cooks has declined in recent years, failing to reach 700 yards in the past two seasons.

Entering his age-31 campaign with one year remaining on his contract, the Cowboys could look to prematurely cut bait with Cooks and his $10 million cap hit to make way for Dak Prescott’s extension.

Moreover, Dallas has Michael Gallup, who they are paying $11.5 million annually and will be entering 2024 another year removed from his ACL injury. Gallup is a younger receiver who thrives in similar areas of the field as Cooks, meaning the former could step into a larger role at the expense of the latter.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Cooks break the record for most times being traded shortly after Prescott and the Cowboys settle on a deal.