Summer really is over.
After gossip-filled months surrounding next year's free agency, the Cowboys surprised absolutely no one and signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year extension. The new deal is worth up to $240 million and will make Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history. It's the second of two major extensions the Cowboys have gotten done in the last couple weeks, and keeps Dallas' core together for the next half decade or longer.
It also, sadly, means the Prescott-to-the-Raiders rumors have come to an end. They were fun while they lasted.
Dak Prescott's extension with Cowboys ruins Raiders' 2025 plan
As far back as this spring, the Raiders found themselves being mentioned in potential teams willing to pay Prescott as much as $60 million per season. 2025 was shaping up as Prescott-or-bust for the Raiders, so in a way, I guess it's nice that they don't have to keep their hopes up for the next eight months, only to have Jerry Jones swoop in at the last second this March.
Now the Raiders will be pivoting, and most of the options in front of them don't look particularly exciting right now. The 2025 free agent class is underwhelming (to say the least) and there isn't an obvious trade option out there right now. The extension also makes it more likely that Minshew is back in Vegas next season, even if it's not necessarily in the same role.
In hindsight, it was probably unrealistic to expect Prescott to leave Dallas, but there were a few weeks there where it felt like the Raiders sorta had a chance. Now Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce are headed back to the drawing board, and everyone else is headed back to 2025 NFL QB prospect rankings.