Cowboys commit to Dak Prescott, 'all in' on 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 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.

The 30-year-old has only played for the Cowboys since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 draft.

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 big fish -- and 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.

"We'd like to see more leaves fall. We'd like to see more action," Jones said of looming negotiations. "It's called option quarterback. I've spent my life (playing) option quarterback. I want to see some more cards played."

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 and voiced confidence they would land an excellent player. In 2022, the Cowboys drafted Tyler Smith with the No. 24 pick and landed wide receiver Dez Bryant in that same spot in 2010.