Cowboys shockingly clear path to move on from Dak Prescott in 2025

It felt inevitable that the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott would agree to a contract extension this offseason. Not only is good quarterback play hard to come by in the NFL, but Prescott's entering the final year of his current deal and has a debilitating $59 million cap hit for next season.

The Cowboys have approached free agency like Prescott's cap hit isn't going anywhere. That might actually be the case, though, after NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport gave a stunning update on Prescott's contract dilemma.

Per Rapoport, the Cowboys haven't made an offer to Prescott and there is a "mutual understanding" between both sides of the QB's contract situation. Owner Jerry Jones chimed in and seemingly foreshadowed that Dak won't be getting an extension, meaning he'll enter 2024 in a contract year.

Cowboys clear path for Dak Prescott to hit free agency in 2025.

It's worth noting that this saga has offered myriad twists and turns. Back in February, Rapoport reported that the Cowboys and Prescott will agree to a new deal before the new league year to clear cap space for the front office to sign free agents. Take that for what it's worth.

Shortly thereafter, training camp was floated as the more likely timeline for a Prescott extension. Now, Dallas has seemingly cleared the path for Prescott to hit free agency in 2025. It's a baffling turn of events given Jerry and Stephen Jones have spoken glowingly of Dak and his ability to win a Super Bowl.

Despite Prescott's imperfections and playoff shortcomings, moving on from a quarterback that nearly won league MVP is franchise malpractice. The Joneses often push the wrong buttons, but we like to think even they recognize how foolish it would be to create a bidding war for Prescott.

Are we sure this isn't another case of the Joneses' negotiating through the media or drawing a hard line? That would be an embarrassing tactic, but Prescott has all of the leverage here between his aforementioned cap hit and no-trade and no-franchise-tag clauses.

Prescott has the Cowboys hanging over a barrel. This could be Jerry Jones' method of trying to recoup some leverage, even though it'll likely be for naught.

Rapoport's update is noteworthy nonetheless, but we'd be absolutely floored if Dallas doesn't re-sign Prescott. Let's not forget that Dak would still cost the team as much as $40 million against next year's salary cap in 2025 even if he left for nothing as a free agent.

There's more to this than what meets the eye.

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