Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton deciding to sign with the Dallas Cowboys turned out to be not much of a surprise.
Dalton was open about wanting some security during a pandemic and didn’t mind being back in his home state.
What could end up being surprising is if he becomes a serious leverage play against Dak Prescott for the Cowboys in the coming weeks.
Like A.J. Green in Cincinnati, the Cowboys have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with their franchise player, Prescott. And things keep getting murkier, as noted by USA Today’s Jori Epstein:
“Prescott has not requested a fifth-year salary of $45 million or more, his representation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Thursday afternoon. Prescott has not, in fact, requested a fifth-year salary of any amount: His desire to sign a deal no longer than four years remains firm.”
The standoff is simple – Dallas wants to lock down Prescott on a deal longer than he wants. He’s 26 and a shorter deal could mean getting another extension right in the middle of his prime.
Prescott, by the way, is a 26-year-old passer who hasn’t missed a game over four seasons, completing better than 65 percent of his passes with 97 touchdowns against 36 interceptions.
In all likelihood, much of the noise coming out of Dallas is just that — one side will blink and an extension will get done. But the presence of Dalton and his 62 career completion percentage with 204 touchdowns against 118 interceptions sure makes things a little more interesting than they probably should be.
If things aren’t interesting enough for Bengals fans right now, it sure doesn’t hurt to turn an eye to Dalton’s new stomping grounds.
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