Dak Prescott Might Sign ‘Hometown Discount' Contract? Cowboys QB Reveals Hint?
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys and their future of quarterback Dak Prescott loom as one of the NFL's biggest stories as the league business year is set to begin ... with no substantial movement from either side regarding the long-planned contract extension that would both a) make Dak a "Cowboy for Lifer'' and b) breath "life'' into Dallas' ability to make roster-building moves under the salary cap.
Did Prescott - highly aware of all of the moving parts here - just reveal a hint as to his willingness to be cooperative with the front office in its eventual efforts?
"I'm definitely confident ... "It will happen,'' said Prescott in regard to the likelihood of an extension being done. ... and that much-ballyhooed quote is noteworthy enough.
But Dak said something else in that same breath.
"It helps the team and it's important for the (salary cap) numbers,'' he added. "I've heard Jerry say that. It's a process. Both sides understand that.''
At the risk of reading too much into those 10 words - ""It helps the team and it's important for the numbers'' - Prescott could be revealing a concession of sorts.
Is he willing to "help'' the team? Is he willing to bend because it's "important for the cap numbers'' to fit? Does he "understand'' all of that to the point that he knows that as he enters a contract year with a bloated $59.5 million cap hit presently on the books, if no extension is agreed to the 2024 Cowboys figure to be a less-likely contender than they've been during his entire eight years in Dallas?
Owner Jerry Jones has talked of what might happen if there is no movement, saying, "If you can't (get an extension, the present deal we) have in place works.'' And it does "work'' - it just doesn't "work'' very well.
Generally speaking, NFL players deserve every dollar they get, and are under no obligation to forfeit their leverage or their earning power. Still, maybe Cowboys Nation should be encouraged that Prescott seems to be acknowledging this, and that when he says, "Everything is great, and it'll happen,'' he might be hinting at his willingness to truly "help'' make it happen.
