Cowboys Rumors: Dallas negotiating lifetime contract with unexpected player

The Dallas Cowboys hope to get a good amount of business done between now and the end of training camp.

Jerry Jones and company have spoken at length about wanting to get Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs extended before the start of next season. Whether that's attainable remains to be seen, but it would behoove the front office to have two thirds of that group under contract by Week 1.

With Prescott, Lamb and Diggs seemingly topping the Cowboys list of priorities, there's an obvious trickle down effect. Look no further than Tony Pollard, who failed to ink a new deal by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline for tagged players.

That leaves Terence Steele as the only other extension candidate this offseason. The expectation was that the Cowboys would exercise a wait-and-see approach with Steele given he's coming off major knee surgery.

However, Mike Fisher of SI.com understands Steele is currently negotiating a contract that would keep him in Dallas for the foreseeable future.

Cowboys Rumors: Dallas discussing long-term contract with Terence Steele

Per Fisher, the Cowboys don't have any real concerns about Steele's knee. While Mike McCarthy noted Steele may miss the start of training camp, it's widely expected the ascending tackle will be cleared for the regular season.

The kicker here, though, is that Dallas and Steele -- according to Fisher -- are discussing a 'Cowboy for Life'-type contract. That begs the question of the length of the contract, and whether Steele is planning to retire early or simply negotiating an agreement to keep him in Dallas for the remainder of his prime.

""It might not be the highest-profile move, or even the highest-priority move, but the Dallas Cowboys, a source tells CowboysSI.com, are in the midst of contract negotiations with offensive lineman Terence Steele, with both sides hoping for a sort of "Cowboy for Life'' deal."

Anyone see that coming?

Spotrac projects Steele's worth at $52 million over four years. Fisher didn't gather the specific numbers being discussed, but Spotrac's projection -- $13 million average salary -- would place Steele inside the top-25 highest-paid tackles (left and right) in the league.

As of this writing, Steele will pocket $4.3 million on his restricted free agent tender. Like Lamb and Diggs, Steele deserves a sizable uptick in pay given his breakout 2022 season and steady progression over his career.

While Steele's contract will be easier to negotiate than the star trio, we'd temper expectations until one of the more prominent Cowboys insiders -- your Michael Gehlken's, Todd Archer's, Jon Machota's and Jane Slater's of the world -- chime in on Steele's future with the organization.

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