Special to Sports News Highlights

(SNH) — It is sounding more and more like America’s Team will be in the market for a new quarterback next year.

Dak Prescott, the starter in Dallas since 2016, is going into the last year of his contract that will pay him $61 million. He and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have broached the subject of a contract extension, but it sounds like there have been no serious negotiations.

Instead, everything coming out of the Cowboys camp these days appears to be both sides walking the company line and tiptoeing around saying anything that might offend the other side.

Jones says Prescott is the guy.

“We want Dak Prescott,” Jones said. “That’s that.”

For his part, Prescott appears to want to stay in Dallas.

“This is where I want to be, and that's where I am. That's the focus,” the 30-year Prescott said.

Reality looks a little different at this point. Prescott finished runner-up in the MVP voting last season after throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns, best in the NFL. But it’s a pass-happy, pass-first league. Those numbers aren’t nearly as impressive as they once were.

Statistics don’t lie, but they also don’t tell the whole story. The biggest stat of all was the 48-32 drubbing by the Green Bay Packers the Cowboys suffered at home in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. The Cowboys have been the only home team to lose on the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs two of the last three years.

The Packers loss stung perhaps like few other losses over the last three decades.

Dallas hasn’t even reached the NFC championship game since 1995, a stunning streak that makes virtually no sense. The Packers and 49ers have played in nine NFC title games since then.

Prescott doesn’t shoulder all the blame for the playoff loss, of course, but he’s a factor in why the Cowboys haven’t reached the conference title game in the last 10 years. He’s certain to be blamed again this year if Dallas stumbles again and goes home before the Super Bowl next year.

Because of his monster contract, the Cowboys have little freedom to surround him with as many pieces that are needed to make deep playoff runs.

They lost left tackle Tyron Smith to free agency, along with a host of others, including running back Tony Pollard.

If you added up all the yards the four Dallas running backs under contract for next year have combined, you will get to 605.

Prescott’s deal is hamstringing the Cowboys’ ability to sign replacements. Jones said as much, calling it a fact that the Cowboys offense would have to “diminish” this season.

Prescott says he is focused on this season, not beyond.

“I don't control that side and making those moves,” he said, referring to free agency. “So, I'm not going to put too much thought and angst into it and what we're doing and how we're getting that done.”

If they haven’t already, Cowboys fans need to come to grip with the situation at hand – last year was the best chance Dallas had at making a serious playoff run and it blew up less than 60 minutes after it started.

Stephen Jones, the executive vice president of personnel for Dallas, talked about his conservative free agency policy recently as seemingly all of the other top-tier teams in the NFC got better – at least on paper.

“There’s a lot to be played out between now and our first game next year,” Jones said. “I don’t think you win a Super Bowl championship on the first, second or third day of the league year.”

He’s not wrong. But, with the unfathomable $61 million taken up by Prescott alone, it looks like now is the time to let the contract run out, find a new quarterback and do a franchise re-set. Again.

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