Let's cut to the chase: The Dallas Cowboys have yet to sign Dak Prescott to a contract extension in a negotiation process in which the quarterback holds pretty much all the cards to go with a golden ticket to 2025 free agency.
The Cowboys have largely put themselves in such an unfavorable position going back to 2019, when they first allowed Dak Prescott to enter a contract year before franchise tagging him in 2020. Now, the Cowboys are letting Prescott to enter another contract year ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
It's important to note this waiting approach is not standard practice for NFL teams: Front offices are consistently trying to get ahead of rising prices for quarterbacks (and other premium positions) and that's despite the fact most teams have the ability to franchise tag their players, unlike the Cowboys with Prescott due to a no-tag, no-trade clause.
In fact, NFL executives like former Philadelphia Eagles president Joe Banner have publicly criticized the Cowboys, calling their approach an advantage for other teams. Dallas' insistence on doing things their way has yet to be backed up by on-field results as the team is pushing 30 years with no NFC Championship Game appearance.
I bring up all of this for one simple reason: Context is important for breaking down a particular quote Cowboys VP of player personnel Stephen Jones dropped on Tuesday.
At first glance, it's your usual executive-speak. A simple line of praise on Prescott, who Jones claims has the ball in his court after the Cowboys' latest contract offer. But the quote says it all about how the team will be perceived if they allow their second-team All-Pro to walk, a fate that might just be sealed if a deal is not in place by the start of this year's regular season.
"We think in terms of being real positive that we're gonna get this (contract) done," Jones said on San Antonio's Sports Star . "We don't picture Dak in another uniform at all. We do believe that the worm is gonna turn and he's gonna win a championship for us."
Again, this comes off as nothing but exec-speak, but it carries significant weight: If the Cowboys wholeheartedly believe that Dak will win that Super Bowl for them, there's absolutely no excuse to not get a deal done.
The Cowboys can't get away from this one with one of their salary cap and pie analogies (or excuses).
After all, the NFL world just saw the Green Bay Packers pay Jordan Love (with 18 career starts) the same average money per year than top-paid QBs Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. Tua Tagovailoa, who has proven much less than Prescott in his career, landed a deal that put him just underneath them.
Factor in Prescott's MVP runner-up season in 2023, his proven record as a winner in the regular season, and his significant leverage on the Cowboys , and the fact is the price, expected to eclipse $60M per year is a fair going price for a quarterback you claim will bring back the elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy to The Star.
If it comes to the Cowboys letting Prescott walk in 2025, there's a portion of the fanbase that will absolutely buy into the team's pitch that they can't afford it because of the salary cap (they'll have to ignore the last couple of offseasons from the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions for the narrative to make sense) but the Cowboys won't fool the entire NFL world. Either those around the league won't buy into their narrative or they'll see the Cowboys as a laughing stock.
It will be expensive. Very. But the Cowboys can realistically get it done as soon as they embrace their past mistakes that led them to hold little to no leverage on Dak. Time to pay up.
Related: Former Cowboys draft 'bust' is now competing for starter reps on Super Bowl favorite team
Local Dallas, TX
Most Popular
Comments / 0