Howe: What I'm hearing on Cowboys contract talks with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons

OXNARD, Calif. — The Dallas Cowboys remain stuck in an extraordinarily complex situation with three of their stars’ contractual status.

Quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons are all up for new deals, though they’re all in very different phases of negotiations with the team. However, if the Cowboys extend all three, they will be rostering three players who will be among the highest paid — if not the highest — at their position simultaneously.

All three negotiations are interconnected, with the Cowboys having to be mindful of the cap gymnastics that will become necessary to keep the trio in Dallas long-term. After spending time this week at the Cowboys’ training camp, here’s the intel we have been able to gather from league sources:

First, Prescott has had a tremendous camp, and he dazzled during the Monday practice session. The Cowboys have been impressed by the quarterback’s ability to block out the business side when it comes to his own performance.

But now to the business side. Prescott is playing in the final season of his four-year, $160 million contract, and there’s a unique challenge with his extension talks. Due to void years and a prior restructure, Prescott is set to earn $29 million in cash this season while incurring a cap hit of about $55 million.

Because an extension would continue to push that dead money into future years, it’s a far greater hurdle to cross from a cap perspective. It’s also unique. Prescott is among 19 quarterbacks who make north of $30 million annually, and none have signed a second big-money extension with their team. That’s important to note because of the dead-money factor.

And among the 16 quarterbacks averaging at least $40 million annually, the 31-year-old Prescott, is one of only four on the other side of 30. While the standard number for a franchise quarterback has ballooned to $50 million over the past year — if not even higher — none of the eight QBs at that number have celebrated a 30th birthday.

That’s not to say that rule won’t be broken in short order. It’s simply an expected negotiating point from the team side.

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For Prescott, he’s seen quarterbacks with lesser statistical resumes soar past his contractual value, and the new standard is now $55 million annually. Because Prescott’s timing is so advantageous, he’s been asking for north of that number, which is his well-earned negotiating right.

From a cap perspective, it would actually make more financial sense for the Cowboys to allow Prescott’s contract to expire after the season, eliminating the $26 million in dead money from future books. From a logical perspective, however, such a strategy could backfire because the temptation of the open market and the QB-desperate teams lurking would pounce with offers that could shatter historical benchmarks.

Prescott knows that. So, while he’d surely appreciate something closer to market value in cash this season, he recognizes the bank account will be just fine with a little patience. Remember, he’s been through all of this before.

The Cowboys badly want to keep Prescott through the duration of another long-term contract. It’s why they’ve been trying to execute an extension before free agency becomes more of a temptation.

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Also, the idea of starting over at the position doesn’t appeal to an organization that has won 36 regular-season games over the past three seasons, second to the Kansas City Chiefs (37). It hasn’t translated to playoff success, but the Cowboys are contenders due to their overall talent. Prescott only aids that stance.

At this point, it doesn’t appear the Cowboys and Prescott are close on an extension, and the cap dynamics and leverage points explain why that’s been the case.

This one feels closer. Lamb and the Cowboys have made progress, but it’s still shy of the point where the sides are assuming a guaranteed resolution.

Lamb is holding out and has informed the Cowboys he won’t report to camp without a new deal. He is currently operating under the terms of his rookie contract’s fifth-year option, which is worth $17.991 million.

The collective-bargaining agreement calls for the Cowboys to fine Lamb $40,000 per day in camp, but they are likely to rescind those fines upon the execution of a new contract. An elimination of fines is only permissible because Lamb is still on his rookie contract.

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Last season, Lamb led the league with 135 receptions, finished second with 1,749 yards and tied for third with 12 touchdown catches. The 25-year-old, who was the No. 17 pick in the 2020 draft, has improved his production profile in every season of his career.

Justin Jefferson ($35 million annually) and A.J. Brown ($32 million) recently reset the market, and there’s no question Lamb’s number would also exceed $30 million annually, which would make him the fifth member of that club.

The discrepancy is where Lamb should fall between Jefferson’s deal and Brown’s contract. Jefferson is widely viewed as the best receiver in the league, and he got his contract with an organization that has a quarterback on a rookie deal. Brown, another physically dominant receiver, got his deal after quarterback Jalen Hurts signed his massive pact. The other pair of $30 million wideouts, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyreek Hill, are also working with $50 million quarterbacks.

The Cowboys seem to be reluctant to hit Jefferson’s APY with Lamb, so the concession could be the guaranteed money. Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million contract includes about $88.7 million fully guaranteed (roughly 63 percent), while Brown’s three-year, $96 million extension includes $51 million fully guaranteed (roughly 53 percent).

Eying the two contracts, is a four-year deal worth $30 million to $32 million annually including 63 percent in guarantees palatable?

Those numbers might make the most sense. Knock down the APY and kick up the guarantees to find a compromise, and it’d help with the Prescott negotiations. That’s why there are reasons to believe Lamb’s contract could be the first to be agreed upon.

The defensive chess piece’s contract is on the back-burner for now, but it’s been on the Cowboys’ minds for a year. He’s in the fourth season of his rookie contract, so he’s now eligible for an extension, but the Cowboys have also exercised his fifth-year option for 2025.

Understandably, the Cowboys have more pressing business with Prescott and Lamb before diving all the way into the Parsons pool. But there could be a significant cost in waiting, because Parsons’ price tag could rise, especially if he delivers another healthy, productive season.

Parsons, 25, has been incredibly consistent with 40.5 sacks through three seasons, but his athleticism as a second-level linebacker has made him unique. The Cowboys won’t be playing the semantic game of treating Parsons as a space linebacker, which would drive down his value.

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San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa set the bar last year with a five-year, $170 million deal including $88 million fully guaranteed. That $34 million annual benchmark will be the target point, though the league seems to still view Bosa as the superior player.

But again, if Parsons stays healthy, he’ll once again be on the short list of Defensive Player of the Year candidates and should be within his right to ask for Bosa money, especially after a couple years of cap inflation.

That’s just something the Cowboys are going to have to stomach down the road. With Prescott a more pressing matter and Lamb out of camp, the organization must prioritize accordingly.

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It’s not a stretch to envision a scenario where the Cowboys eventually employ the league’s highest-paid quarterback, a top-two receiver and the highest-paid defensive player. But even with concessions from the players, they’re still looking at premium-priced players at each position, and therein lies the challenge ahead with keeping this star-studded roster together.

(Photo of CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images)