Apart from the contingent of Cowboys fans who are always shouting for the team to “just blow it all up,” the ones in the rose-colored glasses convinced the Joneses really might swing some sort of megablockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson, or or the plain and simple haters, most of Cowboys Nation wants to see quarterback Dak Prescott signed to a contract that keeps him in Dallas for the long haul.
But the crew over at Good Morning Football on NFL Network is playing devil’s advocate and arguing that a second franchise tag makes a lot more sense for the organization… and actually leaves Prescott in a really good place, too.
In a segment where they tried on the general manager’s hat, hosts Kim Jones, Peter Schrager, Shaun O’Hara, and Michael Robinson discussed who should be tagged this season, looking at it from a business perspective. Robinson, the former 49ers/Seahawks fullback, chose the Cowboys’ No. 4 for the unpopular designation, despite the absolute air assault Prescott orchestrated over the first quarter-plus of the 2020 season.
“This dude was on pace for almost six thousand passing yards last year,” Robinson pointed out. “The defense wasn’t that great early on, but you can’t overlook 151 completions [and] almost 2,000 yards [in under five games], and almost 400 passing yards per game from Dak Prescott.”
But Prescott’s catastrophic injury on October 11 changed everything. It cratered the Cowboys’ offense, which then put even more heat on the team’s shaky defense as they tried to reinvent the wheel while the car was still driving. Based on the rest of the NFC East, it’s not a stretch to believe that a healthy Prescott leads Dallas to a better regular season record and probably the division title.
But Prescott’s ankle dislocation and compound fracture did more than wreck Cowboys’ 2020. It cast his long-term future with the team in no small degree of doubt.
“The Dallas Cowboys have to see what he has left in the tank. I do think he’s in their plans for the future,” Robinson hedged. “If they do franchise tag him this year… this year would be, what, $37.7 [million], something like that? To me, that’s not a bad number for a franchise quarterback that you know can get it done, that you saw: when he wasn’t a part of your game plan, your team didn’t do anything.”
Thirty-seven million and change is a no-brainer price to pay for one season with the clear-cut best quarterback in the division at the helm. Heck, the Eagles are taking a cap hit of $30 million-plus this year just to not have Carson Wentz around. This isn’t about 2021; it’s about beyond.
A healthy Prescott is worth a long-term deal. Had a deal gotten done in 2019 or 2020, it would look like a laughable bargain right now. But that ship has sailed. And the GMFB hosts debated the disrespect that might have festered as a result of the team’s lack of commitment the past two offseasons.
“I think that thought sunk into his head last year,” Robinson theorized. “And if he hadn’t gotten hurt and he had thrown for close to 6,000 yards? Yeah, I think we would have something to saying, ‘Dak ain’t going back to Dallas.’ But you got hurt.”
So the question is, is he worth it now? Should the front office stroke the gargantuan check and set the market for a quarterback they can only hope is on track in his recovery?
“I don’t think they should do it now, coming off of injury,” Robinson said. “That’s bad business. Let’s just be honest; that’s bad business. But let’s be fair to the player: give him the franchise tag, give him that extra money, and negotiate a long-term deal.”
It wouldn’t be a prove-it deal in the typical sense of the phrase, he argued.
“Just prove that you’re healthy; we know he has the skills. It’s tough to just pay him $40 million a season or whatever for four or five years and not know what his injury is like.”
Robinson says that mystery surrounding Prescott’s rehab and just how close he’ll be to his pre-injury status is the X-factor that’s throwing a king-sized wrench into everything.
“I don’t even know if Dak knows how he’s going to come back from this,” Robinson offered. “And think about it: have we heard anything? Have we seen videos of Dak running? Great job, Dak. Keep everybody out of it. Don’t show anything from your rehab. That way, you keep the team in suspense. Get your franchise tag, and then work on a long-term deal later.”
That’s not what most Cowboys fans want to hear. But it may ultimately make more sense than any other option being kicked around.
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