Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys are still in the middle of a long drawn out contract negotiation and Stephen Jones latest comments could explain the reason for such a long wait
Long drawn-out contract negotiations have been the new norm in Big D as the Dallas Cowboys have recently become very frugal when it comes to re-signing their players. First, it was DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018 who haggled with the Cowboys, and then in 2019, it was running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Each of them got paid, but things got messy in each instance. With Lawrence, there was a point where the star defensive end was ready to demand a trade and move on. And with Zeke, he held out until Week 1 and trained away from the team in Cabo until the Cowboys caved on his demands.
Now, they find themselves in a familiar situation as another star wants to get paid but they have yet to come to terms. This time, it’s with the face of the franchise as quarterback Dak Prescott has yet to sign his franchise tag and the Dallas brass has yet to give him an extension that he likes.
And just like with the Elliott and Tank contract discussions, this one is starting to play out in the media. While Dak’s side has stated he will hold out of offseason programs absent a long-term contract, the Cowboys are now trying to say Prescott needs to take less money should he want to win games.
Stephen Jones, the director of player personnel in Dallas, spoke with Pro Football Talk and said that there’s data out there which shows teams don’t win after giving their signal-callers too much of the cap space.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones joined @ProFootballTalk on #PFTPM and partly talked Dak negotiations
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) May 9, 2020
“There’s all sorts of analytics out there that show if your quarterback takes up too big a percentage of your salary cap, that it decreases your chances to win.” https://t.co/tJPOTmMWKJ pic.twitter.com/i17Vw9RPn1
Jones also threw cold water on the tired narrative that owners such as his father Jerry Jones are trying to save money for themselves. In recent years, the Cowboys have made pleas to their star players to take a little less for the good of the team, and often times that leads to people claiming the billionaires want to pocket that cash.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
As Jones said, the salary cap is a zero-sum game for them. When he and his father save a couple of million dollars on a contract for Amari Cooper, that money is used to help sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. When they get Gerald McCoy to agree to terms for less in Big D than he could have made elsewhere, it’s so they can sign Dontari Poe to line up next to him.
Now with Dak Prescott, they’re not asking him to take less than he can demand so they can buy another quarter-billion-dollar yacht but rather so they can keep a strong offensive line in front of him and still afford to pay Cooper, Michael Gallup (who will want his payday soon), and others.
Of course, Prescott has earned this upcoming deal and he has every right to ask for the moon. However, Jones is also correct that it could affect the success down the road. We have seen teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons struggle to keep some of their players after giving their quarterbacks big-time money.
On the flip side, the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers were both in the NFC Championship Game last season with high-priced quarterbacks, so they are proof that you can win, as long as that quarterback is surrounded with young, affordable talent — which often requires excellent drafting, which is a plus for Dallas especially after knocking their latest draft out of the park.
In short, there’s no easy answer and both sides have their reasons for dragging their feet. Having said that, Dallas is doing themselves no favors by waiting. While Jones is absolutely right that it becomes harder to win when a team is cap-strapped, they’re only making Prescott’s demands increase — and it could get really bad if another big name player like Deshaun Watson lands an extension before Dak and drives his price up more.
Eventually, the contract will be done. Dallas believes in Prescott and they’re not going to let him go. Jones is just trying one last time to see if they can get No. 4 to come down just a little in these negotiations.