Garrett Podell CBS Sports HQ on CBS Sports Network: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys contract update

welcome back to HQ Spotlight taking a look at the highest paid NFL quarterbacks there's been a lot of money handed out this summer Jordan love joining the $55 million Club Jared Goff even on the list but you know who's not there quarterback Dak Prescott he's currently on the last year of an airtight contract that will make him a free agent at the end of this season but also give him the choice of his next team and right now that choice is becoming clearer and clearer by the day Jerry Jones has spoken numerous times about working out a deal yesterday saying quote Dak situation right now for my mirror has more to do with our situation than it does the merits of Dak Prescott being the quarterback of the Cowboys and when you hear dak's response I'll let you decide how things are going well the natural question is CD got paid are you next uh not really sure not um not my focus anymore to be honest with you um told you guys that really can say ever was really my focus um it's about making myself and this team better getting us in the best position uh the most confident to go up to Cleveland and start the season off with a win continue uh with with Todd or or do you want to shut him down when the season starts um no I mean that's that's up to Todd and those guys once again I'm not going to be a part of them here as the season starts um uh and they've been going they've been going obviously heavily through Todd Todd and Steven both um so yeah it's just all part of it as I said my job and my focus now is control what I can and um as I said well back in Camp it's two it's two parts of this uh both sides have to come to the agreement you don't need a deal done before the season uh I don't need a no no do would you like it done before the season uh I think it says a lot if it is or if it isn't um but however doesn't doesn't really matter to me to be honest with you what does it say if it isn't just how people feel okay so there's that so again highest paid quarterbacks we could see Dak join this list eventually but the question is is it going to be with the Cowboys is it going to be somewhere else so to answer all those questions we bring in our Cowboys reporter Garrett Podell all right Garrett obviously there's been a lot of conversation he said she said stuff happening in Dallas but the reality is Jerry and Dak are clearly not on the same page here when it comes to that contract so what more can you tell us about what's going on in Dallas yeah Haley I think these last three days have been very Illuminating because if we go back to Tuesday right that's when I spoke with CD lamb about him signing his 4-year $136 million contract CD made it sound like everyone was on the same page CD said Dak wants to be here Jerry wants Dak here so let's get together kill the drama and let's go win that's what cidd said on Tuesday about dex's contract so then Wednesday speak talk to Jerry Jones that's when he said the quote you mentioned a little earlier about these negotiations aren't about the merits of Dak Prescott as the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback and rather about their team salary cap situation and when I relayed that quote to Dak yesterday he looked me right in the eyes and said well man to be honest with you I really stopped listening to what Jerry said to the media a long time ago it doesn't hold any weight with me and dak's been pretty diplomatic this whole time throughout the negotiations when told of Jerry's unique remarks but this time he didn't hold back so I think that kind of revealed a lot that dax's patience may be wearing a little bit thin he probably thought as many that his deal would get done shortly with urgency after CD got signed and his hold out ended but it seems like Jerry still wants to take his time and slow play it which with just under two weeks to go before week one against the Cleveland Browns I I think the closer it gets as Dak mentioned it's going to be tougher and tougher to get it done because he said he doesn't need it done but if it doesn't get done before the start of the season it's going to say a lot about how people feel in this building about Dak Prescott yeah and you know we kind of got a glimpse of the frustration that Dak is feeling I've been in those scrums before so you can almost feel the energy there coming from Dak but you know kind of just give us more of an outlook on dax's mentality obviously this is something he wants to get done he's talked about wanting to stay in Dallas but as he alluded to in that sound bite there he's not afraid to go somewhere else no he's not and he mentioned that out in Oxnard at training camp that other great quarterbacks have finished their careers in other places so he's kind of laid the groundwork for you know that being a possibility and prior to yesterday I didn't really believe that he was truly all that serious about it and that it was just posturing but the true irritation he showed when when discussing Jerry's remarks yesterday I think made me believe that he genuinely is considering and processing the potential of being somewhere else in 2025 But ultimately dak's mindset is look I'm blessed to be here and he can have that mindset because he knows if he gets to unrestricted free agency in 2025 he's walking into a market that saw cousins at age 36 5 years older than Dak get 180 million for 100 guar and 100 guaranteed coming off a torn ailles so dak's five years younger he just led the NFL in touchdown passes the best pass rating of his career which was the second best in pro football last year and by the way the Cowboys won 12 games for the third time in a row first time they've done that since the 90s Glory years and they scored the most points in football so Dak knows if this deal doesn't get done someone else will pay him which is why he said you've got to embrace and love the opportunity to go out and prove that this Cowboys team can get it done in 2024 because he knows the bags waiting for him in 2025