The Dallas Cowboys made their first big move ahead of the 2020 NFL season by replacing Jason Garrett with Mike McCarthy as the head coach. Now, the team wants to take care of the most important position on the field.

Dak Prescott is headed for free agency, and inking him to a long-term contract is Dallas’ main focus.

“It’s been urgent for us [to sign Prescott],” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We certainly want to get that done. That’s our No. 1 priority as we go into the off-season is to get his contract … hopefully find some resolution to it and get that done.”

Prescott will almost certainly remain with the Cowboys next season, it’s just a question of what kind of a deal he’ll be playing on. If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, Dallas is expected to use the franchise tag on the quarterback. Doing so would give Prescott a guaranteed one-year salary of $32.9 million.

A long-term contract would likely cost Dallas more than the $128 million over four years that the Philadelphia Eagles gave to Carson Wentz last year. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Prescott and the Cowboys discussed a contract worth $33 million per season in September before talks broke down.

The Cowboys missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record, their worst mark since Prescott was drafted in 2016. Individually, Prescott had the best season of his four-year career, throwing for 4,902 yards, 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 99.7 passer rating.

Prescott was the only quarterback in the 2019 season to rank in the top five in passing yards, passing touchdowns and yards per attempt.

“It’s always been expensive for quarterbacks,” owner Jerry Jones told reporters Tuesday. “My first one was Troy Aikman and I made him the highest-paid player in the NFL.”

Stephen Jones noted that signing Amari Cooper is the team’s No. 2 priority. Cooper is also set to be a free agent. The wide receiver led Dallas with 79 catches for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ezekiel Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million extension in September.

Dak Prescott Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter of a football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
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