Jacob Harris | May 18th, 2020
I’ve most likely just made a lot of you mad. Don’t get me wrong, Dak Prescott is a solid leader and I’m sure he has some elite quality that I can actually see on the field. This isn’t a joke and it isn’t something I’m taking lightly. I’ve actually been thinking about this a while now and it’s time to say it; the Dallas Cowboys need to move on.
This contract negotiation is like some of the other negotiations we’ve seen over the years. Both sides can’t seem to come to terms or in this case aren’t even on the same planet with terms. Don’t get me wrong, I’m for everyone to get paid and Prescott is no exception. I know he’s been the underdog his entire career and his story is nothing short of amazing and inspiring but if I’m being honest, his recent offers to the Cowboys have been rumored to be in the $40 million a year range and while I’m sure someone (maybe Jerry Jones) thinks he’s worth that, I don’t.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, maybe I’m way off base but I’m still gonna say it, there was a reason the Cowboys went out and got Andy Dalton and it’s not because of anything the former Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback did in the last couple of years. It has everything to do with Prescott and his contract situation. The Cowboys need a solid backup in place when (not if) Prescott holds out. I’m all for paying a decent quarterback $30-33 million a season but unless your name is Patrick Mahomes, don’t ask for $40 million.
It’s also not like quarterback is the only thing the Cowboys need at this moment (look in the secondary, they literally got beat by Carson Wentz and a bunch of undrafted free agents). If and I say IF the only thing Dallas needed to be a contender for a Super Bowl is a decent quarterback, I’d be on board with signing Prescott at whatever number he wanted. That’s something you do if you are that close to winning a Championship. However, there are two types of teams that win Super Bowls in this league: teams that are rebuilding for a championship and teams that are contenders at that moment.
My issue is that I don’t think the Cowboys are that close to being a contender. I think Mike McCarthy needs some time to develop his system and maybe a culture where the backbone of the team is more than someone clapping at them. If Jones and company think the team is that close (which it’s Jones, he might think as much) then they might sign him for that ridiculous number he wants. This would be a HUGE mistake.
Here’s some hard evidence that points to the Cowboys needing to let go of Prescott. The last eight Super Bowl-winning coaches have either drafted their winning quarterbacks, had the luck of Nick Foles, or gotten Peyton Manning in free agency. The trend of a new coach coming in saying so and so is my quarterback and then dumping them before said statement even has time to circulate (I know I’m overexaggerating) has continued.
The quarterbacks that are currently being paid the most also tell a story all in of itself. The top-paid quarterback currently is Russell Wilson, who is some solid wideouts away from being a solid contender for the Super Bowl. The next four on that list are oft-injured Ben Roethlisberger, an upset Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff (who plays for the team with the worst salary cap situation), and Kirk Cousins, (who is often the greatest disappearing act in the NFL).
I would argue both Wilson and Rodgers are close to winning a Super Bowl. Rodgers is getting old and got no help from the draft. Meanwhile, Wilson, as I said before, needs help in places too. I would argue paying a quarterback huge money is something you do after he wins a Super Bowl, as three of the five aforementioned have done. At least Goff has made it to a Super Bowl, something Prescott hasn’t even sniffed.
Looking at the schedule for the Cowboys, I can honestly say that Prescott is the inferior quarterback in the majority of their games. That’s something teams that are always at the top of the draft say, not contenders. I get it, you don’t NEED a great quarterback to win a Super Bowls but it helps, like a lot.
I know I’ve been ranting for a while now just to say this: Dallas, Jones, McCarthy, and to anyone who is reading this; if you want to win a Super Bowl, you know what you have to do. Move so, it doesn’t have to be this season though. If Prescott miraculously signs his franchise tender, let’s see what he’s got. If it was my decision and Prescott won’t sign his tender, I’d find a way to move on.
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