Dallas Cowboys fans know as well as anyone that the quarterback position is the most scrutinized job in sports and that pressure to perform is even greater when you're the signal caller for America's Team.
After missing the majority of the 2024 campaign due to a hamstring injury, Cowboys veteran quarterback Dak Prescott is ready to return to the fold. Without Prescott under center, the offense struggled mightily in Dallas and left the Cowboys on the outside looking in of the playoff race.
While he will certainly be welcomed back to the huddle by the coaching staff and fans alike, Prescott will be facing plenty of pressure to prove that he is still the same player he was when he signed a four-year, $240 million extension.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Clearly on Hot Seat Entering Training Camp
The guaranteed money in Prescott's deal makes it highly unlikely that he will be waived by the Cowboys, as pointed out by Mike Florio of NBC Sports. The problem is that his injury further complicates things for Dallas from a financial perspective, and Jerry Jones has no one to blame for that but himself.
"The complication for the Cowboys is that his $45 million salary for 2027 becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2026 league year. They’re basically stuck — all because they waited too long to give him his second contract, and then waited too long to give him his third contract," Florio wrote.
Regardless of those financial complications, NFL franchises find creative ways to cut costs and move players every year by manipulating the salary cap. Moving off of Prescott's deal would, without question, be more difficult a pill to swallow than others, but it isn't impossible.
Jones and the rest of the front office in Dallas are desperate to bring another Super Bowl to the franchise. If Jerry wants it bad enough, and Prescott proves he isn't the guy who can get the Cowboys back to the top of the mountain in the NFL, he can afford to make a drastic move like this.
The value of the franchise has skyrocketed since Jones purchased the team. Any financial hardship suffered in the moment will be made whole once the day comes when Jones cashes in his lottery ticket, sells the franchise, and adds billions of dollars to his bank account.