Since Dak Prescott had the franchise tag placed on him from the Dallas Cowboys, the attention around the organization centered on his long-term future. The hope was that the two sides could agree on a new deal, but that failed to come to fruition before Wednesday’s extension deadline for players under the franchise tag. It hasn’t taken long for Prescott to publicly comment on the situation that provides insight into his mindset heading into the 2020 season.

Dak Prescott doesn’t ink new deal with Cowboys

The talk over the last several weeks was around Dak Prescott’s contract situation with the Cowboys.

The expectation was that a new deal would be worked out before the July 15 deadline. However, things never got off the ground since March as the two sides didn’t have any fluid discussions around a new lucrative long-term deal. It was known that Prescott is eyeing a four-year extension, but Dallas wanted to counter with a five-year contract.

The Cowboys did try to present the Pro Bowler with a last-second offer that would have made him the second-highest paid quarterback annually behind Patrick Mahomes. It also had around $110 million guaranteed, but that was well short of the $123 million on that front that Prescott wants in his next contract. There were never any ongoing conversations between both sides, which made it no surprise that a new contract wasn’t secured before Wednesday’s deadline.

It didn’t take long for Prescott to make his first public statements since the failed extension discussions.

Dak Prescott’s first comments since failed contract extension with Cowboys

Although the Cowboys will have to wait until next offseason to address Dak Prescott’s contract situation, the star quarterback has already shifted gears toward the 2020 campaign.

In his first comments since the extension deadline, Prescott voiced to USA TODAY Sports that he’s happy to be part of franchise and is looking forward to working with new head coach Mike McCarthy with the hopes of vying for a Super Bowl.

“I’m a Cowboy and couldn’t be happier,” Prescott told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday night. “I look forward to working along Coach McCarthy, the staff, and my teammates to be the best team we can be in pursuit to our goal of a Super Bowl.”

His stance shouldn’t come as a surprise as Prescott has never held any bitterness toward the Cowboys for how the contract situation has been handled. He has stayed along the lines of airing out his desire to continuing playing for the franchise, which is a matter that should be taken care of next offseason.

The focus now shifts entirely on getting ready for the 2020 season, where the Cowboys have an opportunity to put forth a special campaign.

Dak Prescott’s expectations for 2020 season

As disappointing as his lack of an extension with the Cowboys may be, Dak Prescott is set to enter a critical season.

First and foremost, the pressure is on him to prove that he’s worth the lofty deal that he hoped to secure from Dallas. The 26-year-old has an opportunity to guide his team through toward a potential run toward the Super Bowl. The Cowboys have plenty of talent around him offensively to get the job done with Amari Cooper remaining in the mix while adding promising rookie wideout CeeDee lamb, which puts even greater expectations on his shoulders to make the most of the situation.

Meanwhile, the addition of Mike McCarthy further emphasizes the internal push to finally breakthrough, especially after missing the playoffs last season. The pieces are in place in Dallas for a highly scrutinized 2020 campaign that could give a clearer picture to Prescott’s long-term future with the franchise.