The Dallas Cowboys must capitalize on their momentum

Dak Prescott Signs

The biggest news to come out of Dallas in the last few years was the sudden and unexpected contract agreement between quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. I have to admit that it took me a few moments to gather myself as coming to an agreement felt like my favorite team just corraled a unicorn.

Prescott inked a four-year $160 million deal that comes with $128 million guaranteed. Many NFL experts will tell you that Dak and his camp had their way with Jerry Jones but having your team sign a quarterback to the exact same extension Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson signed last offseason is a win in my book.

The Texans were able to tuck some of that money into years already on the books but Dallas did not have that option anymore.

When I saw Watson sign that extension, I was worried the team would have to pay much more than they did. Not only did the Cowboys get Prescott to ink a fair deal, the team was able to structure it in a way that can help the team gain immediate help.

Dak’s reported $22.2 salary cap hit gives the Dallas Cowboys a chance to have their cake and eat it too. By that I mean the team has a franchise quarterback under contract and they have cap space to go out and basically bid competitively compared to the rest of the league.

Sure, there are a few teams that have an abundance of cap space but those teams still have decisions to make at quarterback.

I have taken a deep dive into the Dak Prescott contract details including voidable years as a just-in-case clause but I think the team will be back at the negotiating table after the second year so that they can try and get ahead of the salary cap spike projected to happen after the 2022 season.