Cowboys legend rips Jerry Jones over handling of Dak Prescott's contract

The Dallas Cowboys are an organization that does not learn from past mistakes. While they have flipped their value of the running back position, their approach to contract extensions has not changed one iota. It is maddening to think about the money they could have saved had they signed Dak Prescott to a new deal last offseason before the QB market reached $50 million per year.

Just like they did the first time around, the Cowboys have waited until the eleventh hour to extend Prescott. The expectation is that Prescott will re-up with Dallas, but with training camp just days away fans are rightfully anxious for a deal to get done.

Any forward-thinking team would have signed Prescott ahead of time. The Cowboys knew CeeDee Lamb was up for a new deal and Micah Parsons isn't far behind him. Both Lamb and Parsons will sign for more than $30 million per year and potentially reset the WR and EDGE markets.

Now, Jerry Jones must jump through hoops to fit all three contracts under the salary cap. Not only have fans and media members taken issue with Jones, but Cowboys Hall of Famer Charles Haley has now aired his grievances with Dallas' de facto general manager.

Cowboys legend Charles Haley challenges Jerry Jones amid Dak Prescott contract saga

Appearing on Up & Adams, Haley didn't mince words about Jones when he was asked about Prescott's future and looming deals for Lamb and Parsons.

"He (Jones) kept back-loading everything. So now, he's screwed. His bill came due, and he doesn't have the money to be able to (pay everyone). And so he's going to have to find another way around the salary cap. ... He gambled a long time, and now time is up."

Haley's frustration echoes that of Cowboys Nation.

Jones has been proactive in getting contract extensions done for players such as Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Gallup and Terence Steele. Thus far, none of those decisions have aged well. Both Elliott and Gallup were released, while Steele looked like a shell of the stud he was in 2022 last season coming off ACL surgery. Jones even waited until the last-minute to reward Trevon Diggs with a new deal last summer.

Haley wants Prescott to remain with the Cowboys, but he also feels that trading the QB might be necessary to pay Lamb and Parsons because of Jones' contract negligence.

"Trade Dak," said Haley. "Just put him up for the trade. Guess what? Every team in the league would be after him. Every team in the league. Dak is a winner. Dak is a great person, a great leader. I know him. I go up there all the time."

A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys and five-time champion overall, Haley knows a winner when he sees one. He's 100 percent accurate in saying that most teams would line up for Prescott if he was put on the trade block. He clearly wants Prescott to continue his career in Dallas.

Like most of the fan base, though, Haley cannot comprehend why Jones has delayed the inevitable -- and risked losing Prescott in the process -- when it's been clear for years that Prescott is at worst a top-10 quarterback and that the team is better off with him under center.

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