Prescott expressed a calm patience Wednesday when asked about where things stand regarding Dallas and a long-term extension

FRISCO, Texas —  Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said “We want Dak Prescott. That’s that.” when asked how motivated he is to retain Prescott as his team’s long-term, face of the franchise quarterback.

Jones made that comment two days before the 2024 NFL Draft on April 23, and based on how emphatic he was in saying it, the natural conclusion would be that a new deal for Prescott, who enters 2024 in the last season of a four-year, $160 million contract he signed back in 2021, was imminent. However, nearly a month has passed, and Dallas already has two organized team activities (OTA) workouts under their belt without Prescott receiving a new deal.

Prescott, the 2023 season leader in passing touchdowns (36), isn’t phased by the lack of a deal at this moment in time while stressing the importance of not holding out with much of his receiving core trending younger outside of Brandin Cooks (age 30).

“Business, business is business. I’ll leave it where it gets handled,” Prescott said Wednesday at Cowboys OTAs. “Right now, it’s about being my best for this team right now in this moment. OTAs is helping these guys out and just focused on that and I know my business will take care of itself. Been in it before, experienced [in talks with Jerry and Stephen Jones] and just controlling what I can right now.”

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who will turn 31 on July 29 entering his ninth NFL season, is coming off of a season in which he earned 2023 Second-Team All-Pro honors and finished as the league’s MVP runner-up behind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson while putting up his most efficient season of his career (105.9 passer rating).

Should Prescott’s deal somehow not get done between now and March 2025, he can hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Prescott’s current deal possesses a no-trade and no-franchise tag clause. If he did become an unrestricted free agent, the bidding would almost certainly result in Prescott becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player on an average annual salary basis and surpassing Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s $55 million average per year on his five-year, $275 million deal. He did say back in April that he’s “not trying to be the highest paid necessarily,” but with a soon-to-be-36-year-old Kirk Cousins signing a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guaranteed money to join the Atlanta Falcons after tearing his Achilles in 2023, Prescott’s contract value would soar much higher than that.

“I don’t play for money,” Prescott said. “Never have never cared for it to be honest with you. Yeah. Would give it up just to play this game. So I allow that to the business people to say what it’s worth what they’re supposed to give a quarterback of my play. A person of my play, leader of my play. For me, it’s about as I said, control what I can control and handle that part and the rest will take care of itself.