Dak Prescott New Cowboys Contract Extension Talk? Already? Why?
Didn't the Dallas Cowboys just re-do Dak Prescott's contract, making him one of the richest players in NFL history?
So ... what would be the logic in doing it again - now?
To some, it seemed odd that Cowboys COO Stephen Jones would be asked this question during last week's camp-opening press conference. But his answer said otherwise.
"Obviously it’s going to be popping up again real quick because we went along with the shorter length (in the four-year deal done a year ago),'' Jones said. "You pay attention to these all the time, and certainly we’re always going to be thinking about Dak and how he affects us from a salary cap standpoint.
"But, yes, he’s always in the back of our mind when you’re managing the salary cap with this football team.''
As ESPN points out, there is some fiscal responsibility in re-examining a deal sooner rather than later. A new deal could help the team with the 2023 cap, could combat the rising costs of employing a QB and could quell the concerns about Prescott going free after the 2024 season.
"He’s always a big part of our planning,'' Jones said, "and what we’re thinking about with him.”
Part of that planning in building on the existing four-year, $160 million deal done in 2021 is the assumption that Prescott is indeed "the right guy'' to lead Dallas toward true Super Bowl contention. Jerry and Stephen Jones swear they are convinced of that ... and yet, as you'll recall ...
*He played the 2019 season on the final year of his rookie contract, with the Cowboys making an offer deemed not good enough.
*He played the 2020 season on the franchise tag, earning $31 million ... again, with the Cowboys unwilling to budge toward where they would eventually have to get ...
*He got his $40 million APY in 2021, but the Cowboys gave in there, too, as they wanted that money to work over the course of a truly longer contract, but Prescott's side winning by being able to consider free agency again in 2025.
What's in it for Prescott to consider a new deal now? Doing so might mean he doesn't strike it as rich as he might in, say, 2025. On the other hand, the Cowboys could bend to a projection there ... and maybe Dak could be persuaded to see that his 2023 cap number of $49.13 million and his 2024 cap number of $52.13 million could be a roster-building obstacle.
The rising costs of QBs is a reality. When Dak did his deal, he was the second-highest-paid QB ever. Now he's tied for the No. 7 slot, with QBs leapfrogging over him on a regular basis.
Are the Cowboys convinced that he's the right guy to do some leapfrogging himself?
"I feel like we have one of the best people at that position, and one of the best people that a team has in the NFL,'' Jerry said. "He’s a big part of our my optimism.”
Of course, talk is cheap. But NFL quarterback contracts are not.
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