Trey Lance, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, would never participate in a down in Jerry Jones’ ideal scenario.
Instead, Dak Prescott guides the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl victory since 1995 this season. The richest contract in NFL history is then signed by him. The fact that the team’s title drought was finally over brings solace to Jones, the owner and general manager, who turns 81 in October. After 2024, Lance moves on and tries to restart his career.
The addition of Lance, who was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick on Friday, gives the Cowboys some protection, but perfect worlds are rare to come by.
Remember that this is a team that started eight different quarterbacks after Troy Aikman left after the 2000 season before Tony Romo, an undrafted free agent from 2003, started in 2006 and kept the position for the following 10 seasons.
They used Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson, and Drew Bledsoe in the meantime.
The Cowboys think that the current club, with a core that includes Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyler Smith, Malik Hooker, Michael Gallup, and reliable younger players signed past 2023, is more prepared to win than the teams from 2001 through 2005.
Until 2024, Prescott is under contract. Next season, he will earn $29 million and put $59.4 million toward the salary cap. From a cap viewpoint, it would be very expensive but not impossible to go on after this season. Although Jones has expressed a desire to extend Prescott’s contract, little has been spoken regarding a new arrangement.
In the last three seasons, Prescott, who turned 30 this month, has missed 17 games due to injuries to his right dislocated and fractured ankle, calf strain, and right thumb. Prescott said he felt as healthy as ever as the Sept. 10 opening against the New York Giants approached and that he took every rep in the summer program and training camp for the first time in, he guessed, four years.
A pressure-filled 2023 is in store for him given his age, number of seasons as a starter, and expectations.
Given Prescott’s contract situation, the Cowboys may be forced to at least consider picking a quarterback early in the 2024 selection. A late-Day 3 pick is definitely not as low as trading up significantly in the first round to choose a top talent like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
If the Cowboys activate the fifth-year option after this season, which would be expensive as well, Lance’s contractual rights will be theirs until 2025.
Jordan Love’s fifth-year option in 2024 was avoided by the Green Bay Packers by handing him a one-year deal, which cost less than the option this season but guaranteed him more money upfront.
According to some sources, Lance, who was selected third overall in the 2021 selection, earned a second-round grade from the Cowboys. High draft prospects who failed to materialize on other teams over the years, such as offensive tackle Marc Colombo, a first-round selection by the Chicago Bears in 2002 who was plagued by injuries, have been given a shot by them.
He was acquired by the Cowboys in 2005, and for the following five seasons, he played right tackle for them. Another such is Hooker, a former Indianapolis Colts first-round choice.
They two demonstrated their ability to play. Lance, can you play? Even the Cowboys are in the dark about this. The Cowboys’ risk, however, is limited to a fourth-round pick.
A selection that they anticipate making at the end of the round because Prescott performs well.
