Cowboys Conspiracy? Why Wait on QB Dak Prescott Contract Until After NFL Draft?

The Eagles reset the quarterback market with their contract with Jalen Hurts, and the pressure is back on Dallas to beat the market and pay quarterback Dak Prescott. So what are the Cowboys waiting for?

The Dallas Cowboys are looking to make Dak Prescott their quarterback for the next decade, as owner Jerry Jones told us when CowboysSI.com attended the recent NFL Owners' Meeting in Phoenix. So ... what are we waiting for?

That same wait time has now seen the Philadelphia Eagles reset the quarterback market with their five-year, $225 million contract handed to Jalen Hurts. In the deal, not only did Hurts receive $179.3 million in guaranteed money, but he also got the franchise to put a no-trade clause in the contract for the first time in team history.

Hurts' new deal is now the benchmark the Cowboys will likely have to clear in a potential Prescott extension. But the Cowboys shouldn't wait much longer. That price of $51 million APY, which the Eagles are valuing Hurts at, will inevitably rise with the next new contract. 

Let's get a conspiracy theory out of the way here: While Dallas is dragging its feet on a new deal for running back Tony Pollard (who is presently working under his $10 million tag deal) in part because his theoretical 2024 replacement could be selected in this weekend's NFL Draft, the Cowboys are not applying the same logic to a Dak delay.

No one at The Star is under any illusion that the obvious heir to Prescott is about to be drafted, with late-round names like Aidan O'Connell, Max Duggan and Clayton Tune the best on-the-radar bets.

Now back to reality: We say it would serve the Cowboys better to get ahead of the curve and iron out the details of a Prescott extension ASAP due to the other signal-callers who are set to get a new contract. 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers are in line to get new deals. Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson might break the bank if those two parties can get together.

In theory, getting a deal done with Prescott before others could be the difference between paying him around $52 million (APY) if they get it done quickly rather than paying him closer to $60 million (APY) if they wait. ... with that number likely rising by the month - making the best time now.

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