Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott’s price is about to go through the roof

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed the tag, but locking him up to a long term contract is more essential than ever.

The Dallas Cowboys got lucky when franchise quarterback Dak Prescott signed the franchise tag tender to the tune of $31.5 million back on June 22nd. That was good news for Cowboys Nation, and it was definitely good news to owner/general manager Jerry Jones because there was the possibility of Dak not showing up to training camp altogether.

Trust me, Jerry and Stephen Jones didn’t want to deal with that scenario, even if Andy Dalton is a former starting backup.

As of right now, Jerry and the Cowboys front office literally have until July 15th to make a deal and sign Dak to a long-term contract. If both parties can’t reach an agreement, Dak will play the 2020 NFL season under the $31.5 franchise tag.

Until Kansas City Chiefs ultra-talented quarterback Patrick Mahomes II signed a 10-year $503 million deal, it appeared that Jerry and company had the leverage with Dak-to some extent.

But not anymore.

It’s in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys to meet Dak’s demands because Dak’s price will increase astronomically if they let this go beyond the deadline. And if you think Dak and his representatives aren’t looking at Mahomes II $503 million contract, then you don’t understand the business of negotiating an NFL contract.

As of right now, Dak wants a contract with four years versus the five years the Cowboys are offering him because of the increase television revenue the league stands to make in 2022. Basically, that means Dak and his team want the flexibility to renegotiate for more money after his contract is up after the 2023 season.

The reason why the Cowboys need to pay Dak now is because his numbers are only going to get better. In 2019, Dak had a career year, throwing for 4,902 yards, 30 touchdowns,11 interceptions, completed 65.1 percent of his passes, had a quarterback rating of 99.7, and averaged 306.4 passing yards a game. Statistically speaking, Dak was a top-10 quarterback in every major category. Furthermore, Dak was one of the best in accuracy (I know the HATERS DON’T LIKE THAT).

With the addition of rookie playmaker CeeDee Lamb and head coach Mike McCarthy, Dak numbers will only improve, his overall quarterback play will at least make him a Pro Bowler, and his wins will increase. With wins being the barometer that quarterbacks are measured/judged by, Dak will demand more than $35 million a year.

So for sake of argument, lets look at a few scenarios that are in Dak’s favor.

1.) Dak wins 12 plus games, leads Dallas to its first NFC championship game, and throws for 4500 plus yards, and 35 touchdowns, less than 10 ints. That equates to more money because Dak has taken the Dallas franchise to its first NFC Championship game in 20 plus years, and now Jerry knows without a doubt Dak is his franchise quarterback.

2.) Dak has a career year, throws for over 5,000 yards, 35 plus touchdowns, wins 12 plus games, wins the NFC East crown, wins the NFC championship game, wins the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl MVP, and wins NFL MVP honors. That equates to Dak seeking a huge pay day, meaning Dak and his reps can ask for more than Mahomes.

3.) Dak simply passes for more than 4,500 yards, 30 plus touchdowns, less ints, improves as a quarterback, but Dallas misses the playoffs, or Dallas makes the playoffs but loses in the first or second round. Even this worst case scenario results in Dak’s value increasing.

I gave those gaudy scenarios because everyone is very plausible to happen because Dak has proven he’s capable of passing over 4500 yards, and could have easily passed the 5,000 yard mark if not for his wide receivers leading the league in dropped passes.

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If Dak can put up the sheer numbers by his lonesome, then coach Big Mac will do the rest by winning close games because of his coaching acumen. Even if Dak has a bad game, Big Mac will bail him out for a few wins.

Since wins are what matters the most, Dak will have the stats and the wins as leverage to demand whatever he wants during negotiations.

And if Dak can lead Dallas to a Super Bowl like I suggested in scenario #2 (or at least an appearance in the NFC Championship game), Jerry and Stephen will have no choice but to meet Dak’s demand-even if he’s asking for Mahomes II like money.

Even worse, Dak might ask for Mahomes II type money but with less years. Hey, I’m being realistic because Dak’s reps are being realistic about what they want and knowing they have the leverage to get it. And remember, Dak is a fourth rounder that has won more games than the two quarterbacks that were drafted ahead of him, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.

Further, Dak will play his best with a chip on his shoulder, while continuing to mourn the death of his big brother that he loved so much. When you add up all the positives and self-motivation, the arrow points in Dak’s favor to succeed and then some. So Jerry go ahead and pay Dak now or pay him a bunch of money later. Either way, you gotta pay

• Published on 07/09/2020 at 16:01 PM
• Last updated at 07/09/2020 at 15:38 PM