As usual, the Dallas Cowboys will enter another NFL season surrounded by hype and headlines. What Jerry Jones’ team is also dealing with is an air of doubt around Dallas’ two most prolific players on offense.
Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are set to be free agents in 2025 and finished ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in an NFL.com ranking of next offseason’s top 50 players hitting free agency. Prescott finished atop the list and would seem likely to receive new contract given he’s the franchise quarterback.
“Good conversations are going on,” Prescott said Thursday. “Lots of good things are going on there. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my guys and these guys in getting things done.”
Say what you want about the three-time Pro Bowler, but Prescott’s regular-season numbers alone could make it difficult for the Cowboys to allow him leave Big D any time soon. Last season, Prescott led the NFL in passing touchdowns (36). It was the second time in three season he has finished the regular season with at least 35 touchdowns thrown. (Prescott tied for fourth in the NFL with 37 scoring passes in 2021).
Postseason wins and accolades are where the Prescott criticism begins. But it’s hard to deny his impact from games 1-17. That’s where players make the big bucks. The playoffs are where players cement their legacy. So, it’s hard to picture Prescott playing anywhere other than Dallas over the next few years.
Lamb on the other hand could be a different story if history is any guide. It was only a few years ago when Jerry Jones traded previous No. 1 WR Amari Cooper because Jones didn’t want to fork over $20M per year in salary. Lamb wants to be among the highest-paid in the league at his position. Justin Jefferson tops the list after signing a deal in June that will pay him $35M.
Behind Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyreek Hill are all at the $30M mark or higher. Lamb will likely want to fall somewhere within that group, but Jones didn’t want to pay $20M just a couple of years ago for a No. 1 target.
Given that Lamb is a homegrown product drafted by Dallas, that could factor into the equation in his favor. Jones passing on a player due to make big bucks isn’t unprecedented, though. And tying up so much of the salary cap on two players is risky no matter who they are in today’s NFL.
This could end up being a great situation for one of the other 31 teams in the league should things go sour. Players of Lamb caliber rarely hit the open market at such a young age. The 25-year-old is holding his ground on what he wants and negotiations are ongoing.
