The Dallas Cowboys understood going into the offseason that three contracts would be hot potatoes. Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, and CeeDee Lamb are all available to the Cowboys, and they all want deals before the team’s first snap in December.
It doesn’t appear that Prescott’s predicament will be rectified in time for the regular season. Following a move they made on Wednesday afternoon, the Cowboys may find themselves in a severe scenario at the position.
The Cowboys decided not to pick up Trey Lance’s fifth-year option, a move they did the previous season, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer:
When the Cowboys acquired Lance in August for a 2024 fourth-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers, the choice was practically decided. The option would have cost $22.4 million, been fully guaranteed, and conflicted with the Cowboys’ declared intention to retain Dak Prescott after 2024 if they had chosen to exercise it.
The Cowboys currently don’t have a quarterback on their roster who is signed past this season; Prescott, Lance, and Cooper Rush are all expected to become unrestricted free agents in March. Prescott is not eligible for the Cowboys to deploy the franchise tag, and the quarterback recently stated that negotiations for an extension had not truly begun.
The Cowboys deliberated for a while before declining the option. Picking up a player’s fifth-year option must be done by this Thursday. It was unrealistic to think the Cowboys would take it up, though. The estimated cost to pick up Lance’s option for the 2025 season was $22 million, according to Over The Cap. The quarterback who has made two career touchdowns wasn’t going to get that from the Cowboys.
