Dak Prescott extension rumors: Length of deal a sticking point in Cowboys' QB contract talks

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is expected to become the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. The question is when will he receive that contract, and which team will pay it? As the Cowboys continue to negotiate with their long-time signal-caller, there are several challenges to navigate, including how long the contract will be.

Per Pro Football Talk , one sticking point in contract talks has been years. How many years will Dallas want to tie itself to Prescott? The three-time Pro Bowler has leverage in this situation, as if Prescott plays out the final year of his deal in 2024, he will be allowed to hit the open market next offseason and dedicate his services to the highest bidder. There's motivation for the Cowboys to get a deal done, but they have been unable to up to this point.

Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence signed five-year extensions with their respective franchises, but we saw Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa lock in for four years on their new deals -- breaking NFL records for the most money included in four-year deals.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones characterized negotiations with both Prescott and training-camp holdout CeeDee Lamb as, " Very cordial and upbeat ," maintaining that they are optimistic something will get done.

"Right now the ball is in [Dak's] court and we're waiting to hear from them," Jones said on 94.1 FM "San Antonio's Sports Star" Monday, via The Athletic. "They understand that the ball is in their court."

In 2023, Prescott became the first Cowboy in franchise history to lead the league in passing touchdowns outright with 36. He also finished top three in completion percentage (69.5%) and passing yards (4,516), and finished as the NFL MVP runner-up to Lamar Jackson .

While Dallas went 12-5 in the regular season, the 2023 campaign ended on a low note with a 48-32 home blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. Prescott's 2-5 record in the postseason is tied for the worst playoff record by a quarterback in NFL history (min. 5 starts), while the Cowboys have 13 straight playoff appearances without reaching the conference championship game, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.