FRISCO, Texas -- Contract negotiations involving star players and the Dallas Cowboys' front office are often like riding a roller-coaster.
One week, it can seem like owner and general manager Jerry Jones is a Grand Canyon apart from whichever star he is negotiating with. However, the talks can change in the blink of an eye and result in a fresh, long-term contract extension. All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is the latest example of this in Dallas. One week in early August, Jones was proudly proclaiming he didn't have a sense of urgency to re-sign the NFL's 2023 receptions leader (135) during his extended holdout. Twenty days later, Lamb was back at practice with a four-year, $136 million contract extension.
"I feel like 24 hours can really change your life,'' Lamb said on Thursday. "Obviously it's done that for me and throughout the process I went through."
Now that Lamb's deal is done, all of the focus returns to three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott's extension negotiations as he is set to enter the final year of his current deal just days before Dallas hits the road to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. Prescott's contract extension, or current lack thereof, has been a top storyline surrounding the Cowboys this entire offseason given the way other team painlessly extended their franchise quarterbacks this summer, many of whom don't have the same production or experience Prescott has.
The 31-year-old is coming off of a 2023 season in which he became the first quarterback in Dallas history to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) outright, and his 105.9 passer rating, which ranked as the second-best in the league, was a new career high. Prescott's output translated to the Cowboys leading the NFL in scoring offense (29.9 points per game) in coach Mike McCarthy's first season calling the offensive plays during his Dallas tenure as the Cowboys won 12 games and the NFC East title once again. For the sake of both Jones and the front office as well as Prescott and his teammates, it would be best if this saga is resolved ASAP.
"Yeah, absolutely,'' Lamb said when asked if it would help the team if Dak's deal got done before Week 1. "Obviously, Dak is doing a great job of not really bringing it into the workspace. But I know personally that it can take a toll on you. He's doing a great job of leading us in the right direction. He knows that we're rooting for him, me, the most, for sure. We need to hurry up and get this done, so we can just put this all behind us and go win more ball games."
What helps Prescott remain relaxed about these negotiations is that this is his second time staring down Jerry and Stephen Jones, the team's COO, and he won the last round, signing a four-year, $160 million extension in 2021. That deal came with a no-trade clause and a no-franchise-tag clause, elements that provide Prescott all the leverage this time around. Whether or not Dallas re-signs him, Prescott has full control of where he plays in 2025, and he can enter unrestricted free agency with the Cowboys helpless to stop him from doing so. That outcome would lead to him likely becoming the highest-paid player in football. All that said, Lamb feels like the two sides will come together once again.
"This is Dak's second contract, second time at the table," Lamb said. "I know he's very familiar with this and how Jerry [Jones] is working. I have no doubt that they're going to get the job done.''
Prescott himself knows the power he currently wields in the negotiations, which allows him to remain present in his football preparation, but he acknowledged the rest of the team not having to hear constant noise about his future could help the rest of the locker room.
"Maybe from a team aspect, yeah,'' Prescott said on Thursday. "You know, I've always talked about how present I can be, but understanding not everyone is capable of doing that, to be honest with you."
A week ago, the quarterback indicated he would feel disrespected by the Jones family if the contract wasn't done by the time kickoff rolls around on Sunday in Cleveland. This week, he walked back his previously angst-filled remarks with a smile and a laugh when reminded of those comments.
"People change their feelings daily," Prescott said with a grin. "Can't say I have the same feelings I had last week."
That sentiment then leads into the multimillion dollar question: Will a deal get done by Sunday afternoon?
"I'd say they're working,'' Prescott said. "I don't know if that's necessarily the timeline. I can't say, 'I'll put a timeline on [agent] Todd [France] and Stephen [Jones] if we don't get this done, this or that.' But I know they're working.''
Prescott sidestepped a follow-up question about his feelings about if both sides need to continue hammering out the contract into Week 2 in the lead-up to the Cowboys' home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
"I'm going to still be working,'' Prescott said. "That's the only thing that matters to me.''
Naturally, the rest of his teammates are hopeful news breaks in the next few days that their quarterback is re-signed for the foreseeable future. Cowboys Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith evoked memories of Terrell Owens talking about Prescott's predecessor Tony Romo when talking about Dallas' present-day passer.
"I'm extremely hopeful," Smith said Thursday when asked about Prescott's contract negotiations being resolved by Sunday. "Obviously, that's not something I control or anything like that, but that's my quarterback, that's how I feel about it."
"Dak is one of the most mentally strong people I know," Cowboys running back and Prescott's BFF Ezekiel Elliott said Thursday. "I think being in this situation kind of lights a fire under his tail, and it gets him more fired up than his anxiety."
Seven-time First Team All-Pro right guard Zack Martin is doing his best to help recenter the locker room on the task at hand, but he did echo Elliott's sentiments when discussing Prescott's mental fortitude.
"Dak is as mentally strong as anyone in this locker room,'' Martin said. "At the end of the day, he cares about what's important. Right now what's important is playing the Browns here in a few days.''
