What is Happening?

A franchise unlike any other, deemed “America’s Team”, with a championship history, iconic ownership, and a team at the cusp of winning or losing it all. The Dallas Cowboys are in a unique situation going into the 2020 campaign. Star quarterback Dak Prescott is currently a Free Agent and is in a dispute with the franchise over a new contract moving forward. In a passing league, with a brand-new Head Coach, on a roster built to win-now, this is the biggest contract negotiation of the year in the NFL. Dak Prescott is looking to become the highest paid player at his position in the NFL. According to CBS Sports, Prescott is looking to make $40 Million annually and the potential of a record-breaking salary has the Cowboys weary of how to handle their QB situation.

What Do the Numbers Say?

There is no question that Dak Prescott is one of the top quarterbacks, statistically, in the National Football League. Over the four seasons that Prescott has been at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys’ offense, he has been at the top of the league in multiple offensive categories. Prescott obtained a Top 5 Quarterback Rating among all quarterbacks in 3 of his 4 seasons. Dak also maintained a Top 5 rank in Interception Percentage per Pass Thrown in 2 of the 4 seasons and had the second most Passing Yards in 2019. His statistical accomplishments do not end here. In all 4 seasons of Dak’s Career, he has finished Top 15 among quarterbacks in Pass Completion Percentage, as well as Top 15 in Total Touchdown Passes and Touchdown Percentage per Pass Attempt in 3 of his 4 seasons. It is impossible to argue that Dak Prescott has not proven himself statistically as a top-tier quarterback. But statistics are not everything.

The Cowboys have not been consistent winners since the drafting of Dak Prescott. In 2016, Dak Prescott’s Rookie Season, the Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East Division with a 13-3 record but were defeated in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs by the Green Bay Packers. The team followed this up with a measly 9-7 season and did not qualify for the postseason. The Cowboys bounced back however, making it back to the postseason with a 10-6 record, once again winning the NFC East Division. Dak Prescott and The Cowboys won their first Playoff game together, defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Game. But team failed once again to move past the Divisional Round, losing to the Los Angeles Rams. In the most recent season, 2019, the team struggled once again finishing with a record of 8-8 and missing the Playoffs for the second time in four seasons. Inconsistency in the win column is clear with Dak as the QB, he currently holds a career 40-24 record, but only has 1 victory in 3 games in the Playoffs.

Why Hasn’t a Deal Happened Yet?

Dak Prescott’s stellar statistics and the Cowboys’ inconsistent team success create a tough negotiation in a contract year for the most important position on the roster. The $40 Million question is: has the team not set Prescott up for success, or is Prescott acquiring empty statistics that don’t amount to wins? The biggest mistake Dallas Cowboys’ Owner Jerry Jones has made in the Dak Prescott era has to do with coach Jason Garrett. Garret coached the Cowboys for 10 seasons, never making it past the Divisional Round, and only making the Playoffs three times. Letting Garrett coach all 4 years of Dak Prescott’s Rookie Contract has put the team in an awful predicament moving forward. There are many questions to be answered because of this. Was Garrett the reason for team inconsistency? Can Dak Prescott lead a team in a deep postseason run? Will a new coach take the Cowboys to championship level? With only 1 playoff victory, is it the right move to pay Prescott the highest annual salary in the League? This could be the turning point in the Cowboys history.

What Are the Cowboys’ Options?

There are obviously only 2 ways that this can go for the Cowboys, either pay him long-term or use the Franchise Tag. The team can opt to make him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL and solidify him as the face of the franchise, or they can opt to make him one of the highest paid quarterbacks for one season, allowing him to become a Free Agent once again the following summer. But neither option comes without plenty of risk.

If the Dallas Cowboys decide to pay Dak long-term, they must ride with him. They are trusting that the only reason they could not win with him as the franchise quarterback was because of Head Coach Jason Garrett. Full trust is put into Dak Prescott and they will be forced to pay him despite his success under new Head Coach, Mike McCarthy. If it works out, they look like geniuses. They will sit on top of the NFL world with championships and awards. But if that doesn’t happen, their window is over. The time to win is right now with the strong offensive line they have built and Superstar running back Ezekiel Elliot in the backfield. If Dak cannot produce wins quickly, then the star-studded roster they have created will be for nothing and everyone will wonder: what if?

On the other hand, the team can opt to use the Franchise Tag, which would prevent him from joining another team as well as leaving room to replace him if he does not mesh well with the new coach and system. But that comes at a risk as well. McCarthy needs his quarterback at Training Camp to learn the new system. Under the Franchise Tag, Prescott will likely hold out of Training Camp or longer in hopes of a long-term deal, which will all but doom any instant success in McCarthy’s first campaign. This is a risky move to roll the dice on a potential hold-out at the Quarterback position with a new Head Coach, but if the team believes they can rely on offensive production elsewhere, and believe they can find a better option for the future the following off-season, the gamble may be the best option.

What Is Going to Happen?

Jerry Jones is a man who rarely has his hand forced, although it would not be the first time. In 1993 season, Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith held out the first two games of the seasons due to a contract dispute and the team began 0-2. Jerry was forced to pay Smith and ended up winning a Super Bowl that year. Jones has been in this position before, and the only play he has given himself in the current situation is to pay his quarterback. Jones will have to take the risk on the McCarthy/Prescott pairing, and bite the bullet of not bringing in a new coach sooner. Jones will pay Prescott somewhere between $37-$39 Million, making him the highest paid player in the NFL. Jones will also make sure this deal is done before the start of training camp to ensure the team has the best chance of making a Super Bowl push in the 2020 season. We will have to wait and see how this plays out. This is the biggest decision of the millennium for the Dallas Cowboys and it could potentially change the landscape of the entire league moving forward.

Source:

Walker, Patrik. “Dak Prescott Reportedly Turned down $30 Million per Year Offer, Wants $40 Million Annually.” CBSSports.com, 12 Aug. 2019, www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/dak-prescott-reportedly-turned-down-30-million-per-year-offer-wants-40-million-annually/.