The Cowboys have several big contract decisions coming up this year and are trying to prioritize them while not breaking the bank.
That's easier said than done. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the team is progressing nicely with quarterback Dak Prescott's extension but hasn't gotten that far with wideout Amari Cooper.
Per the report, the Cowboys are trying to make Prescott the highest-paid player in team history with an average annual salary of $30 million.
Team owner Jerry Jones has been open that the team is doing what it can to keep Prescott on the team for the foreseeable future and said on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Monday that a contract will be cemented.
"We're sold on Dak and we do want to have him for the long-term." -@DallasCowboys owner Jerry Jones told @michaelirvin88 about @Dak future with the team: pic.twitter.com/9pkdQh8sIz
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 6, 2019
”We are sold on Dak,” Jones said. “We do want to have him for the long term. We think he is worthy of investing in for the long term. He is going into his fourth year in the NFL. When you look at the snaps he has had, the situations he has been in and how he has got here and you see he has performed, we see real upside in Dak.
"You don’t have it all yet. We love the way he logically progresses through a game. You see when the going gets tough, when he’s got to come from behind, when he turns it loose a little bit. You see him make those plays. He emboldens me to make a deal with him that puts him here for the long term.”
The Cowboys are trying to get a deal done with Cooper, as well, although the negotiations are going slower. The wide receiver is expected to make $13.9 million this season, the last year of his rookie contract.
Before Dallas traded for Cooper in the middle of last season, the Raiders had picked up his fifth-year option.
Prescott and Cooper will be eligible to become free agents after the 2019 season, meaning the Cowboys are trying to get their deals done before the start of the regular season.
DeMarcus Lawrence just signed a mega deal with the Cowboys worth $105 million over five years, and the team just picked up running back Ezekiel Elliott's fifth-year option at $9.09 million, keeping him under contract through the 2020 season.
Elliott, the NFL's reigning rushing champion, also is expected to get a huge contract, but the Cowboys have a little more time to organize that.