Cowboys News: Dak Prescott, Dalton Schultz, Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley

Well, so much for getting Dak Prescott's contract extension done before free agency. According to NFL Network's Jane Slater, Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys haven't had any talks on a contract extension. The new league year is just days away and Prescott's $59 million cap hit is still the two-ton elephant in the room.

Slater did add, however, that there's no cause for alarm. Both Prescott and the Cowboys have expressed confidence in reaching an agreement. There just doesn't seem to be much urgency in terms of a timeline. Slater pointed to training camp as the more likely timeframe for a Prescott extension.

Cowboys and Dak Prescott haven't had talks about a contract extension

There's two ways to look at this. On one hand, it's encouraging Dallas (seemingly) isn't prepared to allow Prescott to play out the final year of his deal. That would be crippling to both the 2024 and 2025 salary cap, as the Cowboys would absorb a monstrous cap hit next year if Prescott were to leave as a free agent.

On the other hand, Dallas could be handicapped in free agency, assuming negotiations extend beyond March. There are other ways for the front office to create cap room, but Prescott's 2024 cap charge is the single biggest reason the Cowboys are $10 million over the cap.

In light of this report, look for Jerry Jones and Co. to be busy releasing players and restructuring contracts to get cap-compliant before free agency.