Dak Prescott absent from start of Dallas Cowboys Friday practice

Dallas Quarterback Dak Prescott was not present for the start of Friday’s practice in Oxnard, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

The reason for Prescott’s absence is currently unknown. Nick Harris of Cowboys.com, however, noted that team owner Jerry Jones, CEO Stephen Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy are absent from practice as well.

Prescott, 31, is currently in the middle of contract negotiations with the Cowboys as the two sides hope to come to terms on an extension. The Cowboys and Prescott were previously at the negotiating table in 2020 and ’21, eventually agreeing to a four-year, $160 million deal. Prescott’s next contract is expected to be north of $50 million annually, but nothing has been agreed to. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 unless something gets done with Dallas. Prescott counts $55.445 million against the Cowboys’ salary cap this season.

Prescott is coming off a season in which he finished second in NFL MVP voting, tossing a league-leading 37 touchdowns and throwing for 4,516 yards. He led the Cowboys to a third consecutive 12-5 regular season and an NFC East title, but Dallas saw another promising season end in disappointment. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Cowboys, 48-32, in the NFC Wild Card Round.

Cowboys working on contract extensions for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb

In addition to Prescott, the Cowboys are working on getting star wideout CeeDee Lamb signed to a lucrative extension. Lamb, who is staging a training camp holdout, is set to make $17.99 million this season on his fifth-year option. In 2023, he hauled in a league-leading 135 receptions to go along with a career-high 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. Other top wideouts across the league such as the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown have gotten paid this offseason. It’s clear Lamb wants next.

Jerry Jones said Thursday he doesn’t feel a “sense of urgency” to get Lamb signed ahead of the start of the season.

“I don’t know,” Jones said. “I don’t have a sense of urgency about getting it done. Put any reason you want. I was at Nobu two days ago. Give that as the reason. Whatever you want to put out there.”