Dak Prescott is entering his last year under contract with the Dallas Cowboys and even with training camp right around the corner the two sides have not come to any kind of agreement on a new deal. With every day that passes there is an (albeit small) higher chance that 2024 is Prescott's last year in Dallas.
The most obvious path for Dallas is simply giving Prescott a fair-market contract to continue piloting the franchise. But with how Jerry Jones has done business in the past (and with the team seemingly grooming Trey Lance to one day start), there is a small chance the Cowboys lowball Prescott, leading him to test the open market.
That would be the worst-case scenario for the Cowboys. There are several teams that project to be very quarterback-hungry next offseason. If Dallas cannot get a deal done now then the team is only opening the door for more competition.
3 potential Dak Prescott suitors the Cowboys need to be worried about:
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling the dice with two polarizing quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Both quarterbacks are one-year fliers and if they do not work out for the team in 2024 then Pittsburgh will be back to the drawing board.
With a talented defense and Hall of Fame head coach, the Steelers likely are not going to want to take a risk at developing another quarterback. Thus, it makes sense for the Steelers to make a splash and be the highest bidder for Prescott if he hits the market.
The Steelers are projected to have over $77 million in cap space next offseason, which is the third-most in the NFL as it stands today. That makes them a real threat.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have been in quarterback purgatory since moving on from Derek Carr and in 2024 the team will roll out Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell as the two best quarterback options.
Vegas is in a bad spot where the team is quarterback-hungry but might not be bad enough to get a top pick in next year's draft. Thus, the only option becomes spending in free agency, which opens the door for Prescott to potentially slide in and be the franchise guy.
The Raiders are currently projected to have just over $24 million in cap space next season but they have huge financial flexibility with several cuttable contracts next offseason. If the Raiders prove they are a quarterback away from contending, and they offer Prescott the most money, they could be a threat.
3. New York Giants
The 2024 season represents Daniel Jones' last chance to prove he can be a consistent starting NFL quarterback. If he cannot prove that this season then the Giants will almost certainly cut bait with the former first-round pick, freeing up $19.3 million in cap space in the process.
If that were to happen the Giants would have $41.5 million in cap space and that is before making any other cost-cutting moves and without a concrete cap projection. If Dallas had a chance to sign Prescott the team certainly has the means to create the salary-cap space.
New York may not seem like the most intriguing destination, especially since the Giants are a division rival, but that could change depending on how the 2024 season goes. Brian Daboll does appear to be a good head coach and the Giants may have drafted a legitimate franchise receiver in Malik Nabers. Those two things, along with a fat contract, give Prescott plenty of reason to potentially consider New York.
