Cowboys Shocker: Dallas Wants Dak - But Odd Stumbling Block?

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott continue to try to negotiate toward a deal that would give him a contract extension that would almost surely make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

But a new report suggests that such an agreement - at least from the Cowboys' perspective - wouldn't necessarily make Dak a "Cowboy for Life.''

That’s the word from The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini, who reports that maybe the APY, which we've reported could be in the range of $60 million, isn't the issue. Rather, she says, it's about the years.

And counterintuitively, Russini reports, it's the Cowboys who prefer to keep it short.

Per Russini on the Scoop City podcast : “The holdup at this point, from what I understand, is about the years the Dallas Cowboys are willing to commit to. It’s assumed that Dak is going to be paid at the top of the market; the Dallas Cowboys are aware of that. ...

"It’s, 'Do they want to put themselves in a position- contractually- that keeps Dak in Dallas longer than two, three, four years?' And that’s what Dak is looking for. He’s looking for a long-term commitment from Dallas.

"The holdup here is really the belief from the Dallas Cowboys.”

That's a new wrinkle. ... and a massive one. Why wouldn't the Cowboys wish to lock their MVP QB up long-term? Could it be a lack of faith in his ability to power Dallas to playoff success and true Super Bowl contention? Is that was Dak was alluding to when he said that if a deal isn't done by this week (the Cowboys open the season on Sunday at Cleveland) that "it is or if it isn’t''?

That remark seemed, dare we say, whiny, at the time, as he added that no deal would indicate "just how people (the Joneses) feel.”

Related: 'Kill the Speculation!' Dak Contract Coming, Assures CeeDee

But maybe now we know that it is ownership, Jerry and Stephen Jones, who are believers in Prescott for now, all things considered - there would be a massive void if he departs via free agency after this season - but might not wish to commit to that "belief'' in the 31-year-old over the course or four or five more years.

“This is a guy who’s won a lot of games, but is that enough? Winning’s not enough for Jerry Jones. We know this. They want to do more,” Russini said. “They don’t want to just be the team that wins a lot of games; they want to be the team that can play in the Super Bowl.”

A long-term commitment to Dak suggests faith that it can happen eventually. Something short of a long-term commitment suggests ... less faith.