Jerry Jones: All-in on Dak Prescott as well as a youth movement
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are committed to staying together in Dallas, but owner Jerry Jones warned the cost is likely a diminished roster around the quarterback in the future.
Prescott is entering the final season of a four-year, $160 million deal and cannot be given the franchise tag under terms of the agreement. None of that is bothering Jones, who said the partnership is certain to continue.
“We want Dak Prescott. That’s that. The improvement demonstrated [last season] that there’s more. We want Dak. We think there is room for growth,” Jones said Tuesday in a pre-draft press conference. “Dak, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, I wouldn’t even blink on that.”
Prescott, 30, finished second in NFL MVP voting in 2023. He said last week “real negotiations” with the Cowboys haven’t begun but he has a $55.445 million salary-cap hit that could be reduced with a long-term extension.
But Jones warned not to judge progress toward a new deal with Prescott by whether they are talking contract before the draft. There are other large contracts in the picture for the Cowboys with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb set to play this season on his fifth-year option and pass rusher Micah Parsons in the final year of his rookie deal with the fifth-year team option available to the front office in 2025.
As for the supporting cast in 2024, Jones stood on his statement at the start of the offseason that the Cowboys are “all in,” despite being mostly passive observers during free agency.
“We’re all in with these young guys … We’re all in with this draft,” Jones said.
The Cowboys draft 24th in the first round. In 2022, the Cowboys drafted offensive tackle Tyler Smith with the No. 24 pick and landed wide receiver Dez Bryant in that same spot in 2010.
Bengals: Cincinnati re-signed free agent quarterback Jake Browning to a two-year contract through the 2025 season. Also, the Bengals signed unrestricted free agent quarterback Logan Woodside to a one-year deal.
Undrafted out of Washington in 2019, Browning spent 2019-21 on the Minnesota practice squad. He then spent time on Cincinnati’s practice squad before filling in for the injured Joe Burrow last season.
Chiefs: Back-to-back Super Bowl championships and three titles in a five-year span prompted Kansas City to reward their top brass with contract extensions. Coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and club president Mark Donovan received what the club termed as long-term deals. Specifics weren’t announced.
According to NFL.com, Reid, 66, got a new pact that runs through 2029 and makes him the league’s highest-paid coach.
Eagles: The NFL reinstated cornerback and kick returner Isaiah Rodgers after a one-year gambling suspension. Indianapolis cut Rodgers following his suspension last June and he signed with the Eagles in August. A sixth-round pick in 2020, Rodgers averaged 27 yards on 61 kickoff returns in 45 games with the Colts.