Cowboys Reportedly ‘Not Very Far Along’ With Extensions for Prescott, Lamb

The Dallas Cowboys continue to move along in a “wait and see” type of negotiating tactic, but that tactic could be wearing thin for the team’s star players. Owner Jerry Jones stated back in April during a pre-draft press conference that, “We’d like to see more leaves fall.”

Read more: Cowboys Star CeeDee Lamb Poised to Profit off Rival’s Record-Breaking Extension

These proverbial leaves continue to fall, and yet the Cowboys organization isn’t making headway on extending three of the team’s most important players. Quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and defensive end Micah Parsons are all awaiting a new contract. They all deserve to be paid at the top of their respective positions, but Jones might not be keen on making any sort of move to get that done.

Longtime NFL analyst Adam Schefter spoke on ESPN’s “SportsCenter”about the contract negotiations the Cowboys are currently engaged in, and his insight didn’t offer any semblance of hope that the organization is close to making deals with its star players. According to Schefter, “The Dallas Cowboys are as far along with CeeDee Lamb as they are with Micah Parsons as they are with Dak Prescott, which is to say, not very far along with any of these players right now.”

Prescott is playing in the last year of a deal he signed in 2021. Should he not be extended, he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2025, able to sign with any team. Lamb is currently playing on his fifth-year deal via his rookie contract. The star receiver did not show up for OTAs or mandatory minicamp, trying to strongarm the organization into giving him a much-deserved extension.

The Cowboys also picked up Parsons’ fifth-year option. All three should warrant big paydays, even if it’s not with their current team.

Prescott ended 2023 with 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Lamb was second overall in the league at the receiver position with 1,749 yards, and 12 touchdowns — 50 yards and one touchdown behind Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.

Parsons has been a monster on the defensive line, racking up 14 sacks while mostly being double-teamed every snap. He also secured his first Defensive Player of the Year nod in 2023.

Though all three deserve an extension, additional reports indicate the Cowboys are prioritizing keeping Prescott in-house above the other two. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed this on “SportsCenter” on Friday.

Fowler stated, “You’ve got Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have a world of problems here financially with three players they have to sign—Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb as well—but the feeling around the league and sources I’ve talked to is that they want to start with Dak,” Fowler said. “They’ve put it on the table with Dak’s people that ‘Hey look, you’re a priority. We want to try to get something done.’ As far as hard dollars, not a lot of progress yet. I would describe their efforts so far as passive.”

Prescott’s issue on the field is an inability to show up when it truly matters. He has yet to lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance, despite generally having regular-season stats which place him in the top five among all the quarterbacks of the NFL every season.

It would be smarter to move forward with re-signing Lamb, who continues to showcase elite skill at the receiver position. He is also the only one engaging in a holdout, so there is a reality in which the Cowboys lose him for the entire 2024 season.

Jones can rectify this situation immediately by extending at least one of these players. It could be seen as a show of good faith. If he doesn’t, this Super Bowl-hopeful squad will be picked apart in 2025, and the team might have to engage in a rebuild.

Correction 6/19/24, 8:43 p.m. ET: This article was altered to correct the quote in the headline to “Not Very Far Along.”