Maybe someone should make a test call to the phones of Todd France and Stephen Jones, just to make sure they’re still on and working. The agent for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and the team’s executive vice president/chief operating officer have less than 24 hours to consummate a new contract for the starter before an important window closes.
But apparently, both sides have more important things to do on a lazy summer Tuesday than working to secure the services of the presumed leader of America’s Team. As reported by ESPN’s Todd Archer, “there are no scheduled talks between the Dallas Cowboys and the quarterback’s agent,” according to Archer’s sources.
But “Deadlines make deals,” of course. That’s an old saying that dates back to-
Wait. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the one who said it, back in the 1990s. And while the multi-billionaire has been in plenty of financial staredowns over his tenure as team boss, few other wranglings have felt like they held the future of the franchise in the balance.
Prescott is already locked in as the team’s starting quarterback for 2020; his signing of the franchise tender assured that. This game of chicken is about what happens in 2021 and beyond.
In a video posted Tuesday morning, Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan offers a quick guide to the five ways things could play out as the Wednesday deadline approaches.
To summarize, the team could:
- Do nothing. Let the franchise tag stand. Prescott makes $31.409 million for 2020 in what amounts to another one-year prove-it deal. Pick up talks again in the next offseason. The risk? It sends a message to Prescott that the front office still doesn’t believe in him, potentially souring him on wanting to remain in Dallas. It also makes 2021 even more expensive than 2020.
- Use the franchise tag on Prescott again in 2021. For another $37.7 million, the team retains control over Prescott for an additional season. But it’s hard to imagine the relationship could possibly survive two-plus years of let’s-wait-and-see-where-this-is-going non-commitment.
- Give in to Prescott’s ask for a four-year deal instead of a five-year pact. The sticking point in these talks has seemed to be more about time than money. Prescott, who’s been the biggest bargain in the league since his rookie deal, would understandably like another turn in the payday line when the league’s TV contract expires and there’s a lot more cash out there to be made.
- Find a way to make the five-year deal more attractive to Prescott’s camp. “Is there a way to anticipate what Dak would make in 2024,” Fisher wonders, “and compensate him for that now?” This spreads out cap impact and allows the Joneses more leeway in expanding the roster elsewhere.
- Get creative. Take a look at the groundbreaking contract the Chiefs worked out with Patrick Mahomes. Maybe “the first-ever percentage-of-the-cap deal” would be enough of a sweetener to bring Prescott around. Maybe working some magic with innovative option bonuses or guarantees. Jerry and Stephen Jones would undoubtedly love the revolutionary structure of their starting quarterback’s contract to become the talk of the league and the deal that everyone else is trying to emulate. All it takes is a phone call.
The clock is ticking, with loud, echoing booms like the cliffhanger ending of every episode of 24.
How far will the timer be allowed to count down? What happens if it hits zero? Will the Cowboys cut the red wire or the blue wire?
And will this whole thing blow sky-high if they make the wrong choice?
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