No deadline for Cowboys' Dak Prescott, but no deal 'says a lot'

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said he does not need a contract extension to be done before the season starts Sept. 8 against the Cleveland Browns.

But does Prescott want it finished?

"I think it says a lot if it is or if it isn't," Prescott said Thursday. "But 'however' doesn't really matter to me, to be honest with you."

What does it say if a deal is not completed?

"Just how people feel," Prescott said.

On Wednesday, owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked what more he needs to see from Prescott in order for a deal to get done.

"You could easily say, 'If you haven't seen it by now, you haven't seen it,'" Jones said. "I'm such a fan of Dak's and appreciate all of the great things that we all know that is there. And I appreciate his work ethic more than anything out here. I can't tell you how proud I am that we've got him this year to start this campaign. ...

"When you look at a situation, you've also got to weigh, 'OK, what are the consequences of the other side of the coin?' And so Dak's situation right now for me, from my mirror, has more to do with our situation than it does with the merits of Dak Prescott being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys."

Prescott said he understands Jones' thinking.

"That's the business and the nature of this game that we play," Prescott said. "Yeah, I mean, I stopped, honestly, listening to things that he says to the media a long time ago. Doesn't really hold weight with me."

Prescott is set to play on the final year of a four-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021. He is scheduled to make $29 million this season and count $55 million against the salary cap.

Green Bay's Jordan Love, Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati's Joe Burrow are the highest-paid quarterbacks at $55 million per season, followed by Detroit's Jared Goff at $53 million.

The Cowboys have had discussions with Prescott's agent, Todd France, throughout the summer, but a deal does not seem close. Prescott said it would be up to France and the organization if negotiations continue into the regular season, not him.

The Cowboys and France negotiated over multiple years before their agreement in 2021. The Cowboys have only a matter of months now because they cannot place the franchise tag on Prescott after the season, which will allow him to hit the open market next March.

If that happens, Prescott will count $40 million against the Cowboys' 2025 salary cap.

Prescott has said on numerous occasions he wants to remain with the Cowboys, but he has acknowledged there could be a future with him playing in another uniform.

"I'm super blessed to play this game, to be in Year 9, to feel as I do, healthy as I do, as confident as I am, the experience that I've had. I'm blessed to play this game," Prescott said. "I'm getting paid a lot of money to do it. I've already got paid. To get paid again, that's just part of it. I'm due up for that whether it's signing here or whether it's somewhere else that I don't care to think about at this moment. It's all part of it.

"For me, it's like I said, it's about controlling what I can and being the best version of myself, best leader and make sure all these guys in here understand that we're on a mission. It's not about next year right now. It's not about my contract. It's not about anything but getting ready for Game 1 against the Browns. Simple as that."

He is among a number of key players, such as  Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence, about to enter the final year of their contracts. Mike McCarthy and the entire coaching staff is also on the final year of their contracts.

"Honestly, you gotta love it. You gotta embrace it," Prescott said. "That's the challenge. Once again, as the players and the coaches, [we] don't have the full say in whether we're here or not. It's about us controlling what we can. Right now, it's about sticking together, making this locker room, embracing this culture, embracing one another, not putting necessarily pressure on ourselves but understanding that this team won't be the same after this -- whether it be coaches, whether it be the players, whether it be some of the key pieces. I just doubt it will be the same. And that's the business of it. Yeah, it's now. Period."