In the land of click-bait journalism, this was a doozy. One of our local publications had a headline wondering, “What is taking so long on Dak Prescott’s contract?”
When you’re trying to create controversy where none exists, it’s important to create a straw man argument. I was amused by the local outcry when the Cowboys had a bit of a showdown with DeMarcus Lawrence. There were reports the All-Pro defensive end would put off shoulder surgery until his contract extension was completed.
Lawrence received the most lucrative deal for a defensive player in Cowboys history, and order was restored. Now, there seems to be a suggestion the Cowboys are dragging their feet with Prescott’s negotiation. Never mind that he’s a borderline top-10 quarterback in the league. Pay the man his $30 million per year and move on to Amari Cooper, the theory goes. Fortunately, Prescott isn’t getting involved in the rhetoric.
“It’s all generational money, life-changing money, so it’s just a blessing to be able to be in this position,” Prescott told reporters at a charity event for the Salvation Army on Wednesday. “But as far as the numbers are concerned, my focus is on the locker room, and that will all take care of itself.”
Here’s a man who knows he has the upper hand in negotiations. Unlike Lawrence, Prescott knows the Cowboys aren’t going to place the franchise tag on him. This isn’t the Redskins, where Dan Snyder gleefully undermines his head coaches and quarterbacks. Jerry Jones loves making his franchise quarterbacks comfortable, as Tony Romo could attest. There will be no threats of the franchise tag in these negotiations. Stephen Jones has made the point that playing for the Cowboys provides all sorts of off-the-field opportunities, but he’d be better off making the no state income tax argument (that never works).
Prescott has the Cowboys over a barrel because he’s gone 32-16 in three seasons as the starter. He’s the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 20 touchdowns and run for five touchdowns in his first three seasons. I also think he’s the type of caretaker quarterback that Bill Parcells craved. It’s strange for Prescott to become the third- or fourth-highest paid quarterback in the league when the Cowboys’ offense is completely built around Zeke Elliott. But that’s life in the big city, as Parcells used to say.
If the Vikings are going to pay Kirk Cousins $28 million per year, Prescott is perfectly within his rights to ask for more. The Redskins played the franchise-tag game with Cousins and it made things extremely awkward.
I do think it would be interesting for Jones to let Prescott play the final year of his contract. That’s really the best leverage he has. This would cause an uproar from reporters who seem to carry the water for players/agents in these negotiations more than ever. I think Prescott would have the mental fortitude to handle the situation beautifully. As I’ve mentioned before, the Cowboys let Romo play into the final year of his contract in 2007. He expressed his displeasure to me several times that season, but he put up huge numbers and quickly landed a lucrative extension.
Romo had started a lot fewer games at that point than Prescott currently has under his belt. I actually think Tony might encourage Prescott not to sign a contract before the season unless the Cowboys hit his reported $30 million per season number. Having a coach and quarterback in the final year of their contracts would add an extra layer of intrigue to the season.
Alas, Jerry will give the order to finish the contract sometime before or during training camp. If the Cowboys wait until training camp, there could be some turmoil. But none of it will come from Prescott. He has a good grasp on the fact he’s about to receive a life-changing contract. If he has to wait a couple months, it won’t be a problem for him.
He can sit back and let the media beat up Jerry, if it comes to that. He knows the Cowboys don’t have a Plan B at quarterback. And Prescott himself was the Plan B who saved the franchise three years ago.
