3 contracts holding the Dallas Cowboys back right now

1. Dak Prescott, QB: $59.45 million cap hit in 2024

We can argue back and forth until we're unable to form sentences any longer about the worth of Dak Prescott. Many people do just this — even CeeDee Lamb's mom. Major sports networks have admitted to using this talking point to help draw viewership due to the staggering number of people who want to weigh in on the topic.

The Cowboys starting quarterback is simply polarizing. This was the same with Tony Romo and every other quarterback who started for this franchise but couldn't bring home a title. For Prescott, the heat feels deserved right now. He had another remarkable regular season campaign and then threw two pick-sixes in yet another playoff loss.

As fate would have it, Prescott enters a contract year with his latest playoff dud hanging over his head. For those who want to defend him, they'll point out that he turned it around late in the loss to Green Bay and the defense failed them. This is true but again, Prescott started slow while Jordan Love — a first-year starter — came in on fire in his postseason debut.

Having said all of that, Prescott is a top tier quarterback and will get a massive extension. There's chatter about a possible trade but none of this is coming from the Cowboys front office, but rather fan speculated. Dallas is going to keep No. 4 but they can't keep him at his current cap number.

Prescott sits atop the team's salary cap with a hit of $59.5 million. That's more than 20 percent of the team's overall salary and will limit the team's opportunities in the offseason. Before they even think about extending Micah Parsons or Cee DeeLamb — or looking at free agents — they need to address this contract. Dragging their feet crushed them several years ago and we'll see if they learned their lesson yet. Looking at the Gallup/Steele situation, it's not a given that they learned a thing.

More Cowboys coverage