Stop us if you've seen this before, but contract negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have hit a snag. It appears Prescott could play out the final year of his contract in 2024 and potentially reach free agency next offseason.
We won't believe that until it actually happens, but the door has crept open for 2024 to be Prescott's final season with the Cowboys. It's always possible Prescott and Dallas reach an agreement after the season, but if he's allowed to test the open market he will have no shortage of suitors.
Good quarterback play is hard to come by in the NFL and Prescott would be the best free agent at the position in recent memory. A 35-year-old Kirk Cousins coming off a torn Achilles got a four-year, $180 million deal from the Falcons.
Prescott is going to fetch a lot more than that and he'll likely have a bidding war of teams vying for his signature. Here are the most likely teams that will pursue the two-time Pro Bowler if he reaches free agency.
4. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks confused just about everyone when they traded for Commanders quarterback Sam Howell after they shipped Drew Lock to the Giants.
Granted, every team needs a backup, but that wasn't exactly a vote of confidence in starter Geno Smith. Smith has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons, throwing for 50 touchdowns to just 19 interceptions while completing over 67% of his passes. Smith also finished ninth in MVP voting in 2022.
Those are nice stats, but Seattle is just 18-16 over that span with zero playoff wins. They missed the playoffs entirely in 2023. The Seahawks don't have much cap space in 2025, but cutting or trading Smith would save $25 million and they have decisions to make on Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf and Leonard Williams, each of whom have cap hits north of $29 million.
By the time Seattle performs some housekeeping, they'll have more than enough cap room to sign Prescott. They're defense is in good hands with head coach Mike Macdonald and they have plenty of firepower on offense in Metcalf, Lockett and running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.
A move to the Pacific Northwest could entice Prescott.
3. Denver Broncos
Sean Payton wasted no time kicking Russell Wilson to the curb, but the financial ramifications are historic. The Broncos will eat $39 million this season and take on $85 million in cumulative dead money between 2024 and 2025. It's the largest dead cap hit in league history.
Wilson's dead cap hit in 2025 will be $32 million. Though crippling, Denver doesn't have any other bad contracts on the books. In today's NFL, teams can navigate lofty cap hits and build a Super Bowl roster. If you can believe it, the Broncos are slated to have $93 million in cap space next year.
Another important factor here is Payton's motivation. The head coach did not appreciate Wilson's style of play and he might not have the patience to draft and develop a young quarterback. With the No. 12 overall pick, Denver isn't in a position to draft one of the top four guys. Do we really think Payton wants to reach on a player like Bo Nix, who's already 24 years old?
Joining an AFC West that already has Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert would be a drastic change for Prescott, who's owned the NFC East throughout his career. However, the Broncos weren't far off from making the playoffs last year with Wilson under center and Prescott would represent a major upgrade.
2. New York Giants
Prescott ending up in East Rutherford would be a nightmare for the Cowboys and their fans, but it's certainly a possibility.
General manager Joe Schoen has all but confirmed this is Daniel Jones' last season with the team. Jones has no guaranteed money left on his four-year contract after 2024, so the expectation is the Giants will cut him loose next offseason.
The pre-draft buzz seems to hint at the Giants selecting a quarterback in the first round, but the sixth overall pick leaves them in a precarious position. Does UNC's Drake Maye potentially fall that far? Will they reach on Michigan's J.J. McCarthy or potentially take Washington's Michael Penix Jr. in round two?
If New York doesn't come away with a QB in round one, that swings the door wide open for them to pursue Prescott in free agency. They only have $34 million in cap space in 2025, but moving on from Jones would free up $30 million and they'd net additional funds if tight end Darren Waller retires.
Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are under immense pressure after the Giants won six games last season after their playoff appearance in 2022. Signing Prescott would answer all of their questions at quarterback.
1. New England Patriots
The Patriots are positioned to select a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick, but new head coach Jerod Mayo hasn't commited to doing so. It would obviously be foolish of Mayo to reveal the team's intentions, but it seems New England isn't a lock to draft a quarterback.
It's been rumored that the Pats don't love UNC's Drake Maye, who could be the top QB available assuming Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels go one and two to the Bears and Commanders, respectively.
Additionally, Mayo has hinted at the possibility of trading back to stockpile more picks. Having a QB on a rookie deal is the easiest path to get to a Super Bowl, but it stands to reason the Patriots don't want to risk whiffing on another QB after the Mac Jones experiment went up in flames.
New England will have the most cap space in the league next year at a whopping $159.9 million, according to Over The Cap. That's more than enough to afford Prescott, who'll likely command north of $60 million per year.
The Pats needs to build up their receiving corps, but they already have a dependable tight end locked up in Hunter Henry and a promising tandem of running backs in Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. They have a strong defense and are seemingly a QB and WR1 away from getting back into contention.
Signing Prescott would leave them one piece away and they could draft Marvin Harrison Jr. third overall and sign a big-ticket free agent next year. For what it's worth, the 2025 free agent class of WRs is absolutely stacked.