With all of the noise around Dallas' offseason work, the franchise is on the clock with its veteran quarterback as well.
The Dallas Cowboys' free agency approach has once again left fans a little empty, and that is despite the franchise being far more active than in recent years.
Jerry Jones' "bust the budget" quote is ringing in our ears, and you can make the case that Dallas has done anything but that.
Yes, it has tried, with the trade of Maxx Crosby, which saw Dallas knocked back three times. So the willingness to be players in free agency was there. It just didn't get the desired result.
But there is something that should be mentioned here as the Cowboys appear to tiptoe their way through yet another free agency window.
And that is quarterback Dak Prescott.
I hear you say, "What does Dak have to do with Dallas' free-agent approach?"
And as it turns out, quite a lot.
The Cowboys are in what I am calling the "Dak Prescott Window."
After all, Dallas won't have No. 4 forever, right?
So, what is the "Dak Window?"
When Prescott signed his monster four-year, $240 million deal, the clock started ticking on the Cowboys' Super Bowl hopes.
And that window has now shrunk to just two years.
Prescott has an "escape hatch'' in his contract in 2028, and has no guaranteed money left on his deal by then, per Over The Cap.
It is worth noting that Dak's cap number in 2027 is $76 million, and it goes up to $86 million in 2028. Of course, the franchise could restructure to push more money into the future.
So that gives the Cowboys this year (2026) and next year to go properly "all-in" to try and get that elusive Super Bowl.
Why? Because there is no guarantee that Dak will be with the Cowboys in 2028, especially if the NFC Championship game isn't reached.
Dallas has an out ... if it wants it. In theory, Prescott could only have two years left as a Cowboy.
Will the Cowboys want to sign Dak to a new deal? One can only imagine the price tag for a franchise quarterback will be then.
So, do what you can before that decision has to be made.
No one will care if the Cowboys have to pay the piper in 2028 or 2029 with Dak if they win the Super Bowl this year or in 2027, right? But if the same failures happen? Then what becomes of Dak?
The Cowboys have an elite offense with Prescott, and only a two-year window to take advantage of it, so the Cowboys would be wise to do as much as they can to either overhaul the defense and/or extend Pickens.
Give Prescott the best chance at a Super Bowl in the next two seasons.
Because of all the contracts set to come down the pipeline, none will be more franchise-altering than Dak's.
Two years, Jerry. That "Dak Window'' is open ... but closing more quickly that it seems.