Insider discusses if Dak Prescott could choose free agency over Cowboys

As of Wednesday afternoon, there remained no strong indication that the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott were close to agreeing to a contract extension with Prescott on track to reach free agency following the upcoming season.

NFL senior writer Mike Sando of The Athletic offered somewhat of an update on the situation for a piece published on Wednesday.

" M y opinion is that Prescott would prefer to remain with the Cowboys, " Sando shared. " I don’t know how much he cares about maximizing his earning potential on this next contract, but with nearly $200M in career earnings through this season, he’s facing zero financial pressure to take a deal. The Cowboys cannot use the franchise tag on him or trade him, so if he wants to maximize his leverage, he’s in prime position to do so . He’s the one in control of the situation. "

The Cowboys continue to be linked in rumors with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as Dallas coach Mike McCarthy prepares to guide the club while in a contract year.

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Dianna Russini teased that Dallas will " soon " get a deal done with unsettled wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Thus , the Cowboys' next order of business theoretically should be to lock Prescott down if team owner and general manager Jerry Jones is serious about replacing McCarthy with Belichick this coming winter.

The Cowboys currently have career backup Cooper Rush and 2021 first-round draft pick Trey Lance sharing their quarterback room with Prescott. Lance could eventually receive an opportunity to earn the Dallas starting job but largely looks like a work in progress at this stage of his development.

As Sando pointed out, though, Prescott " could command $60M per year if he hit the open market " in March 2025 after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers all inked massive extensions when they had no " viable options besides showing up to play for their current teams. "

The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants are two franchises that could actively pursue Prescott when the legal tampering portion of free agency opens in March.

Prescott may " prefer to remain with the Cowboys " but also may have to improve his 2-5 career playoff record to convince Jones to not go in a different direction regarding the sport's most important position next offseason. Then again, Jones may be waiting to finalize Lamb's deal before the organization works out the details of a Prescott extension.