The Dallas Cowboys are getting ready to head to Oxnard, California to begin their 2019 training camp to prepare a team that has the look of a Super Bowl contender as we sit here in late July. Several things will have to go well for the Dallas Cowboys to hoist their sixth Lombardi Trophy next February. A lot of their success will rest on the shoulders of their two highest-profile players in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
Both Prescott and Elliott have been in the news a lot this offseason with both hoping to get big-time contract extensions this offseason ahead of their fourth seasons in the NFL. Yesterday, a couple of nuggets came out of The Star addressing both of these players.
Dak Prescott Extension Coming
The debate has raged about how much the Dallas Cowboys should pay their franchise quarterback. Initial expectations put Dak Prescott at anywhere from $25 to $28 million annually in an extension and now it looks like he's going to be sitting around $32 million a year or more after several quarterbacks reset the market this offseason.
Now it sounds like a contract extension will get done while the Dallas Cowboys are in Oxnard, California for training camp. Jane Slater from NFL Network is reporting that a source close to the negotiations believes that a contract is coming soon for Dak Prescott.
A source informed on #Dak talks also tells me the #Cowboys are optimistic a deal gets done at training camp
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) July 24, 2019
There's never been a doubt that Dak Prescott was going to get signed to a massive deal at some point prior to the 2019 season. The only questions have been about money and when. We'll still have to wait for the contract terms to come down, but the time is nearing for the contract to finally come to fruition.
Ezekiel Elliott Expected to Report
Ezekiel Elliott's been in the news a lot this offseason. His potential contract extension and whether or not the Dallas Cowboys should pay for their elite running back has been debated at length this offseason. There have been reports, though questionable in nature, that Elliott is planning on holding out of training camp when the Dallas Cowboys open with their first practice on Saturday, July 27th.
The Dallas Cowboys' star running back is also hoping to land a contract extension though he still has two more years under his rookie contract.
With Head Coach Jason Garrett talking to the media yesterday in anticipation of the team's departure for training camp, he's expecting his bell-cow back to be with the team when they make the trip to Oxnard.
Rob Phillips from DallasCowboys.com is reporting that Jason Garrett hasn't been made aware of any changes to Elliott's status for the start of training camp and he anticipates the two-time Pro Bowler to be on the field for the start of training camp.
Elliott doesn't have a ton of leverage unless he's planning to sit out the entire season. If he doesn't report by August 4th, the 2019 season will not count toward his years of service and his ability to become a free agent in 2021.
Any report of a hold-out has been largely overblown. While it's a possibility that's been on the table for Elliott and his team, it's always seemed really unlikely that he'd sit out training camp and the 2019 season in search of a new contract. This time next year, however, is a different story.
If Elliott doesn't get a contract this before the Dallas Cowboys go to training camp in 2020, I'd fully anticipate him holding out in search of a contract that should make him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
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With training camp finally upon us, the news is going to be coming hot and heavy and I'd anticipate Dak Prescott's contract getting signed any day now. With the NFL getting going in every city this week, it would be just like Jerry Jones to steal the headlines by giving his franchise quarterback a very rich contract.
