The Dallas Cowboys are in a little bit of a contract issue with running back Ezekiel Elliott at the moment. Despite the problems they're having there, it appears they aren't turned off to the idea of waiting to see what happens elsewhere.

According to Todd Archer of ESPN, the Cowboys are ‘not afraid' of letting quarterback Dak Prescott enter the final year of his contract without a new deal.

In case you weren't aware, that final year is 2019 – this season.

The quarterback has led the Cowboys to a winning record in all three years of his career. Two of those times he was rewarded with a Pro Bowl appearance. Last year, Prescott posted a career-high 3,885 passing yards. With fellow NFC East quarterback Carson Wentz getting a big payday, many expected the same for Prescott to come shortly after.

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Now it appears that might not be the case though. The Cowboys definitely still want to figure out a deal with their quarterback, but they don't appear to be nearly as desperate as many would've guessed. That's doubly surprising considering how far apart they are with Elliott at the moment as well.

However, it's important to remember that these are negotiations. The Cowboys sort of need to say things like this to keep an upper hand. If they were to come out and say they absolutely felt it was necessary to get a deal done before the year, suddenly Dak Prescott holds all the cards.

With that being said, you should still expect the two to try to work out a deal soon and you shouldn't be surprised if they do figure out a deal before the regular season.

However, now we know it isn't absolutely essential – or at least the Dallas Cowboys don't want you to think it is.