his is a butterfly effect week for the Dallas Cowboys. On one side, they could renew quarterback Dak Prescott and committ to a future with him. A shakeup will put the franchise’s immediate future at the game’s most important position in serious doubt. Again, an important week.

This week is of extreme importance because it is officially game week for the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL. In fact, we’ve reached Week 1 and if the Cowboys don’t sign Prescott to an extension before the end, it would likely mean they won’t do so for the entire season, at least that’s what NFL history suggests.

Dak Prescott’s girlfriend provokes with a strike that showed off more than expected

As of Monday things are business as usual

It’s hard to know or predict when news of a Dak extension will start to trickle out, assuming it happens. This is the case because these matters are always unpredictable, but the Cowboys have managed to up the ante a bit in the way they have approached extensions for their superstars, including Dak in the past, over the last decade or so.

As of Monday morning, it all appears to be business as usual. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport went on TV to let us know that Dak will become either the highest-paid Cowboys player in NFL history or the highest-profile free agent in league history.

“The two sides have been working, there have been active conversations for the last month or so, and there’s a lot at stake,” he said.

“If Prescott comes to an agreement … which of course would make him the highest paid quarterback, player, everything in Cowboys history … then he will remain in Dallas this season and beyond.”

“If he doesn’t get a deal, he will most likely become a free agent, the highest profile free agent we’ve ever seen. He has the upper hand and the clock is ticking.”

The term “pot calling the kettle black” has been thrown around a lot throughout this topic/situation and, if it’s not clear, it’s all in Dak Prescott’s hands.

With the Cowboys unable to place the franchise tag on him or trade him without his consent, they run the risk of losing him for absolutely nothing next offseason, save for what would likely be a compensatory third round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Even if you want the Cowboys to dump Prescott, this whole saga has earned them criticism over the contractual handling of their most important player. It is extraordinarily rare for a franchise quarterback of Prescott’s caliber to reach the final year of a contract with a team, as doing so offers enormous leverage to the player in question.

The Cowboys have gotten into this situation on three different occasions over the past six years. That’s extraordinary mismanagement.

They may well save it with a renewal this week and, if they do, then the future will become clear. But they simply can’t keep working like this because doing so creates a situation that is unnecessary and unsustainable for proper squad management.