Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott should stop delaying the inevitable

The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott are playing this game of cat and mouse over a contract. The future and the past says that’s a bad way to play it.

The Dallas Cowboys and their starting signal-caller, Dak Prescott, have yet to be able to come to terms on a deal. Having not being able to do so before the league’s deadline to do so, a fluid one this season, Prescott will be forced to play under the NFL’s franchise tag this season.

While that sort of worked out in Prescott’s favor, getting the $30 million plus salary that he is seeking in this upcoming season, without a long term deal in place it is just that. It is a deal for just this upcoming season.

That isn’t something that any of us should be excited about, none of the parties involved. That means we as the fans and especially the other two parties involved, the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott.

While there are many reasons that this is the case, there is a specific set of facts that tend to illustrate a greater case than any. One is indicative of the past, while the other points to the future.

The point from the past was brought to the light by Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports. In his piece taking on Prescott’s franchise tag situation, he uses a tweet from the NFL Media Research Department that contains data specific to the history of franchise-tagged quarterbacks. Here’s the tweet.

It’s pretty clear what the data seems to indicate there. If it isn’t, here it is and as best put by Schwab himself in his piece via Yahoo Sports.

"“The history of franchise-tagged quarterbacks — which is actually much shorter than you’d expect — says the Cowboys won’t let Prescott play on the tag. It also says if he does play on the tag, he might be leaving soon.”"

That would definitely seem to be the case. That couldn’t possibly happen though, could it? Jerry Jones wouldn’t allow that to take place, or would he?

ALSO READ: What can Dak Prescott still learn from Tony Romo?

Jones has indicated profusely that he wants Prescott in Dallas and I tend to take Jerry at face value. Jerry isn’t one to say stuff that he really doesn’t mean, while he has always been willing to tell us the stuff that he does believe.

An example of the former, Jones not saying what he doesn’t believe, is how he stood mum for most of last season on former head coach Jason Garrett’s future. And after standing by Garrett for so long, let him go as his absence of affirmative words for the situation seemed to indicate.

An example of the latter of Jones telling us exactly what he means is how he has sung the praises of Prescott for a few years now. He has practically said at every turn that he wants Dak to be his guy for a long time.

If what Jones has told us for what seems like Prescott’s entire tenure is true, then the Cowboys and Prescott should stop delaying the inevitable. I mean, you have to mention Dak here as well.

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys – When will it end?

Admittedly so, I think Prescott is right to stand firm on a number worthy of a franchise quarterback for a franchise like the Dallas Cowboys. Even he though and at a certain point, has to make concessions to do what’s mutually best for him and his teammates.

Looking into the future, as far as why they should be eager to get this deal done, is the looming contract of NFL MVP and Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, those conversations began in the last day or so.

While Prescott isn’t worthy of making more or the same money as Mahomes, his number could only serve to drive the asking price up. Well, that could be one result.

There could also be another result of a deal between Mahomes and the Chiefs. While Mahomes will make new money of about $40 million per year, the language and pay-out process per season could make it look like only around $32 million per year.

This would be so because the total new money would be added to the total money owed still in the last two years of his current deal. After adding that up and averaging it out to a yearly salary based on the number of years the new deal would take him through, the math would come out to around that $32 million dollar average figure from this next season until the end of the contract.

Florio goes into a bit greater detail in the piece, but the gist is good enough for our purposes. What this means is that the Cowboys could then use that figure against Dak, as again, he isn’t worth the same as Mahomes.

It’s all a bit complicated, but what contract of any sort isn’t? The old adage goes, you don’t get what you deserve, but you get what you can negotiate. That is no more true here in this situation and that is why it would best serve all parties involved to stop the delay and get a deal done.