Cowboys rumors: Dak Prescott's contract is tangled mess, CeeDee Lamb extension optimism, Zimmer strategy

Dak Prescott's extension is less straightforward

If the road to CeeDee Lamb's contract extension is a straight-line expressway, quarterback Dak Prescott's is more like a curvy country backroad. The Cowboys still probably expect to get where they're going, but it may not necessarily be a quick and easy path to the destination.

Firstly, Graziano notes some history: That the Cowboys last agreed-upon extension with Prescott and his agent was not an easy one.

Remember, this is what Adam Schefter reported on that deal when it went down years ago:

"The process to reach a long-term deal with Prescott covered three offseasons, multiple mega-million offers and hours of negotiations. The Cowboys, all along, said they wanted Prescott to be their franchise quarterback for the present and future, and Prescott said he wanted to remain with the Cowboys."

This time, the Cowboys do not have three offseasons to wait to clear some space on its books.

Graizano notes the situation projects to be one where Prescott actually has more of a vice-grip on the Cowboys this time around than last time. He points out a few key factors: Prescott's recent performance, the fact that his current contract has one final year, and two key clauses: A no-trade clause and a no-franchise-tag clause.

Dallas will want to extend him now because his cap hit this year is a shade under $60 million. That would be 25 percent of the projected $240 million cap spent on one player. Not ideal for the Cowboys who need to continue adding talent to keep up with the big dogs of the NFC and NFL at large.

Perhaps, though, Prescott's leverage actually is a plus-point toward quick negotiations for the two sides. Maybe, the power dynamic has shifted so completely to Prescott. If the Cowboys are truly desperate to get this done, which they very well may be, they could concede to his wishes early on to get the books finalized and secure their star quarterback for the future.