Dak Prescott Takes Veiled Shot at Jerry Jones With Contract Extension Comments

For as much as we love to pretend NFL players are in it for the love of the game, it's always clear that money plays a big factor in their decisions. And for as much as that reality upsets some fans, it's hard to blame the players.

So on the surface, Dak Prescott's latest stance of "I don't play for money" looks completely ridiculous. Of course he cares about the money, because otherwise why would he have not already signed a new contract, right? And why wouldn't he be taking a massive pay-cut to allow the Cowboys to surround him with championship-level talent?

But there may be more to these comments than simple posturing. If money isn't his top priority, why hasn't he signed yet?

Well maybe that's about more than money. Maybe it's about a certain someone in the Cowboys organization who has looked from the outside like an absolute pain to negotiate with in recent years.

Maybe it's about Jerry Jones.

Jones is playing hardball with Dak, and his public pro-Dak comments have never lined up with how negotiations actually seem to be going.

And when we see Jerry also playing hardball with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons just one year after doing so with Zack Martin, it's hard to imagine these negotiations are going any better behind the scenes.

And one of our few tools for getting a behind-the-scenes look at things, the NFLPA team report cards, back up Jones being difficult. The Cowboys ranked only 19th in the NFL in their "Ownership" grade (not to mention other weak marks like training room, training staff and team travel, which highlight Jones' refusal to spend what he should on this team).

Former players are no more complimentary of Jones either.

We all know not to take Dak's "I don't play for money" comments at face value. But in reality, there's probably a lot more to them than simple posturing. The challenge of playing in Dallas isn't that players can't handle the national spotlight. It's that playing for Jerry Jones isn't easy — especially when you're a superstar due for a big payday.

This is a recurring theme for the Cowboys, and it's just another reason that many in Dallas feel Jones has overstayed his welcome as the team's owner.

The Cowboys opened as favorites to win the NFC East next year, but Jones' poor offseason approach has led to a shift in those odds, with Dallas (+130) now tied with the Philadelphia Eagles (+115) on DraftKings Sportsbook.

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