We heard yesterday that Dak Prescott and the Cowboys had resumed negotiations on a long-term extension with the March 9th franchise tag deadline looming. Dallas fans will be happy to know that it sounds like those negotiations are going well.
Talks are “progressing” and have been “more productive than they have been” in previous months, sources tell Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. Obviously if they can’t agree to a deal the Cowboys will tag Prescott and then they’ll have until July to work something out, but the word recently has been that Jerry Jones is hoping to wrap something up quicker than that to give the team clarity entering free agency.
Interestingly, Watkins also sheds a little more light on the second surgery Prescott had in December. That procedure was apparently to “clean up previous problems in the right ankle,” and wasn’t related to the devastating fracture he suffered in that same ankle back in Week 5.
Watkins notes that team officials say it was merely “to strengthen the ankle,” and wasn’t a setback or new injury. Additionally, he writes that Prescott is expected to be ready for training camp in July. In the report from yesterday, we heard that Prescott isn’t looking to top Patrick Mahomes, but is instead probably looking for something in the ballpark of $40MM annually.
Mahomes’ new deal gave him $45MM annually, and Deshaun Watson got around $39MM on his extension. No matter what, it looks like things are finally moving in the right direction after a long impasse.
If they give him anywhere near 40 million a year they are insane! They haven’t won a Super Bowl in 25 years. If they give him that kind of money they all but guarantee never to win as long as that contract exists. Again if they could field a championship team when he was making 750k a year how does anyone think they can field a championship team when he’s making 40 million.
I would have to agree. That would be crazy
They haven’t won a championship in spite of his play, not because of it. It’s not his fault that he was drafted to play on this team. He is a top ~8 QB on any team in the league. 97.3 career QB rating & 9 fourth quarter comebacks in 69 career games… And about to enter his prime.
The things that are polarizing about him are entirely out of his control. Bright, hard working lunchpail guy that gets more out of what he has than most & isn’t full of himself. Look into his life story & tell me otherwise.
Top 10 players at their position always get paid well when allowed to reach the free agency stage.
Also, historically speaking a QB taking 20% of the payroll is nothing new. Troy Aikman’s salary in 1993 was over a third of their entire payroll. And that team had far better players at premium positions.
The team did not take advantage of the absurd value Dak provided as a late round selection starter for all those years – that’s not his fault. It’s theirs. Maybe they should draft better & not literally burn money on terrible players like Jaylon Smith, Tyrone Crawford, Brandon Carr et al
Totally agree. Also big factors are the guaranteed money and the number of years. You can’t simply look at the amount per year and judge the contract.
It’s not a percentage of payroll issue, it’s a percentage of cap. The cap wasn’t instituted until the 1994 season. If the NFL allowed QB spending to be uncapped Jerry might spend 33% of his payroll on a QB, but with a cap that isn’t a feasible way to win. And it’s not necessarily Dak’s fault alone they couldn’t win when he taking up less than 1% of the cap. That goes to show you why they are hesitant to spend big on him. They’re just admitting that they can’t put a good enough team around him at any salary level. You see it time and time again, guys on rookie deals make the super bowl then don’t on a bigger contract. Russell Wilson, Goff, Wentz, Mahomes is TBD,Flacco,
That’s what the market dictates. This happens every time a top tier QB gets a new deal. It’s the highest and then everyone compared them to QBs that make less.
Massive overpay at 40mm a season….that was before the ankle injury…
I would have went into last season with Winston, I’d do the same this season. It’s about the money. I like Dak, hes a Top-15 QB most days. But can’t pay him and compete. Just too much money. If the Cowboys stay at 10, they take Surtain/Farley. Maybe tab Trask if they trade back in the 2nd. I would be fine with Winston, Dalton/Smith, and Trask. They have to fix the secondary via draft and FA, the line has to get healthy, they need solution at DT. Several contracts need to get reworked.
They can’t fix the rest of the team and pay Dak or trade for Wilson.
The Cowboys should take a CB @ 10, a FS in the second or the back end of the first (trade one of their two third round choices to move up), and a DT1 in the third. The defense is the problem in Dallas, and it can be vastly improved in one draft. Sign Prescott.
Not to mention cooper and Elliott alone. That’s three players and 75 mill? 42% of the cap on 3/51
The Cowboys are kidding themselves. Even if Prescott is totally healthy they are pretenders, not contenders.
I also don’t see Dak getting more than 35 on the open market.
Who is it they’re competing with? Are the bears or anyone else really going to lock him up at $40MM per on the open market?
I think it’s a bad move for the Cowboys. Dak won’t be the same after that injury
I rather see Sam Darnold under Center than pay Dak anything north of 35 mil.
Cowboys will continue to be irrelevant if they keep overpaying players.
Beware big money contracts as they lead to buyer’s remorse by the teams and big dead money against the cap. For 2021 the 32 teams have a collective $253M in dead money (source overthecap.com).
Dak was balling out before the injury it’s not his fault the defense stunk up the joint. The QB market has been set and Dak will get paid he’s outplayed Carson went and Jared Goff.