National Football League

Cowboys trying to pull a 'Houdini' to sign Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, others

Published Jul. 20, 2024 5:08 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are each one year away from free agency, while standout linebacker Micah Parsons is now extension-eligible.

There's an intense juggling act going on in Dallas' front office, according to the team's chief operating officer, Stephen Jones.

"Those things take time," he said. "You know when you're talking about CeeDee and … somebody like a Micah is coming up — you're talking about two players that aren't quarterbacks that feel like they ought to be a little bit like [Justin] Jefferson, the top-paid non-quarterbacks in the league. Of course, you have Dak. Obviously, his résumé speaks for itself. He was second in MVP voting last year. He [has] just had an extraordinary career here in Dallas.

"You know, those things just take time when you're talking about the amount of money involved. Of course, we're trying to … play Houdini in how to keep all these guys around Dak and keep these players we were fortunate enough to draft."

Regarding Prescott, former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress opined on Thursday's edition of "The Carton Show" that team owner Jerry Jones knows exactly what he's doing with the quarterback's contract.

"I believe that Jerry Jones has pushed all his chips into the middle of the table," Burress said. "He's saying, ‘Listen, if Dak Prescott doesn't get it done this year, [we're moving on].' They haven't even signed CeeDee Lamb yet. Training camp is a few days away. … Dak Prescott doesn't have a contract. They're going to wait and see how the season unfolds, and he's going to make a decision if he wants to blow this thing up or not."

Former Cowboys defensive end and Hall of Famer Charles Haley recently asserted that Dallas should trade Prescott before the 2024 season starts. In the wake of that remark, Chris Broussard argued that it's more likely Dallas "caves and gives Dak the contract that he wants" on Thursday's "First Things First."

Prescott, a three-time Pro Bowler, threw for an NFL-high 36 touchdowns and posted a career-best 105.9 passer rating in 2023 en route to the Cowboys posting their third consecutive 12-plus-win season. That said, Dallas then lost at home to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC wild-card round, falling to 2-5 in the postseason with Prescott under center.

Lamb, a three-time Pro Bowler, led the NFL with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. All three accumulations were career highs for Lamb, who has posted 1,100-plus receiving yards in each of the past three seasons and 100-plus receptions in each of the past two seasons.

The Jefferson contract that Jones referenced saw the Minnesota Vikings' star wideout receive a four-year, $140 million deal, which includes $110 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.

Parsons, a two-time All-Pro, has been a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons in the NFL. Furthermore, he has registered 13-plus sacks in each of those seasons, while forcing three fumbles in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Dallas added linebacker Eric Kendricks and reunited with running back Ezekiel Elliott in free agency but lost running back Tony Pollard, left tackle Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz, receiver Michael Gallup, defensive end Dorance Armstrong and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, among others, to free agency. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch retired.

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