We are in the middle of an important week for the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott and a would-be contract extension.
This is a butterfly effect week for the Dallas Cowboys. One flap of things sees them extending quarterback Dak Prescott and committing to a future with him under center. Another flap will cast the immediate future of the franchise into serious question at the most important position in the game. Again, an important week.
It is assumed that this week carries extreme significance because it is officially a game week for the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL. We have indeed arrived at Week 1 and if the Cowboys do not sign Prescott to an extension before its end. it stands to reason that they won’t at all throughout the season, at least that is what NFL history suggests.
Brace yourselves.
As of Monday things still seem as they always were with this situation
It is hard to know or predict when news of a Dak extension will begin to percolate, assuming it happens. This is the case because these matters are always unpredictable, but the Cowboys have managed to up the ante a bit with how they have approached extensions for their superstars, Dak included in the past, over the last decade or so.
As of Monday morning things seem to be the same. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport took to the television airwaves to let us know that Dak is either going to become the highest-paid “everything” in NFL history (with the Cowboys if that is not obvious) or the highest-profile free agent in league history.
From @GMFB: It’s a game week! And Week 1 serves as a deadline for some big-time contractual issues. Let’s take a look… pic.twitter.com/8LsEH273fW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 2, 2024
“The two sides have been working, there have been active conversations, for about the last month or so, and the stakes are as high as they get.”
“If Prescott does do a deal… which of course would make him the highest-paid quarterback, player, everything in NFL history… then he will remain with the Cowboys this season and beyond.”
“If he does not do a deal then the likelihood is he will be a free agent, the highest-profile free agent we have ever seen. He has all of the leverage you could possibly get and the clock is ticking.”
The term leverage has been thrown out a lot throughout the course of this subject/situation, and if it is not clear, it all resides in the hands of Dak Prescott. With the Cowboys unable to place the franchise tag on him or trade him without his consent. they risk losing him for absolutely nothing next offseason, save for what would likely be a third-round compensatory pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Even if you do want the Cowboys to move on from Prescott, this entire saga is an indictment on their contractual handling of the most important player in the game. It is extraordinarily rare for a franchise quarterback of Prescott’s caliber to reach a contract year with a team as doing so offers enormous leverage to the player in question. The Cowboys have painted themselves into this corner on three different occasions over the last six years. It is extraordinary mismanagement.
They may very well lock him down to an extension this week and if they do then part of their future will be established. But they simply cannot continue to work like this as doing so creates an unnecessary and untenable situation for proper roster management.
