As ongoing contract talks between Dak Prescott and the Cowboys continue, many analysts have expressed their thoughts about the situation. Some NFL analysts like former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer have questioned whether Prescott should take less money. Others have said that Prescott should get paid top of the line money.
However, Hall of Fame running back and former Dallas Cowboy, Emmitt Smith, took a different stance on the contract situation with Prescott. He believes that the Cowboys are not 100 percent certain that Prescott is their franchise quarterback and are hesitant to give him the money because of that.
“The only answer I can give is the Cowboys are uncertain whether or not he’s the future of the Cowboys,” said Smith. Outside of that, if he was the complete future of the Dallas Cowboys, they would make no bones about giving him a contract.
“I mean at the end of the day, Tony Romo, they were committed to Romo right off the rip. Right off the rip. And he came in and replaced Drew Bledsoe. And I mean, he’s not the biggest guy. He’s not the most flashiest guy and he’s not the fastest guy either. And he had his challenges. But there was a commitment to Tony Romo. There is not a commitment to Dak Prescott.”
Why haven’t the Cowboys and Prescott reached a deal yet? Is it safe to assume that the Cowboys are a little hesitant about Prescott?
Dak Prescott Contract Situation
Last season, the Cowboys and Prescott tried to agree on a deal. However, things didn’t go according to plan as both sides weren’t close. The Cowboys’ final offer for Prescott was a 5 year, $175 million contract right before the signing deadline. Nevertheless, Prescott declined the offer.
As a result, the Cowboys placed the $31.4 million franchise tag on him, ensuring that he would stay at least one more season.
The Cowboys and Prescott are now in the same situation trying to agree on a contract. With free agency approaching, the Cowboys have to move quickly if they want to ensure that Prescott stays with the team in 2021 and beyond.
Emmitt Smith
If anyone knows about the contract talks within the Cowboys organization, it’s Emmitt Smith, who played 13 seasons for them.
Smith had his own fair share of contract disputes with the Cowboys. After the 1993 NFL season, Smith was set to make an astonishing $465,000. As a result, he demanded a new contract. After the Cowboys and Smith couldn’t agree on a contract before the season, he sat out the first two games. Following two back-to-back losses to start the season, the Cowboys then reached an agreement with Smith. The new contract made him the highest-paid running back in the league (at that time).
The Cowboys know value when they see it, so what’s the holdup with Prescott?
Dallas has signed the most vital players in their history like Emmitt Smith, Tony Romo, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper after realizing what they do on the field. This year was a perfect example for Dallas to see their offense without Prescott. It wasn’t very solid, to say the least, and the Cowboys struggled to win ball games because of it.
Smith is right if the Cowboys were that confident in Prescott, they would have settled on a deal at this point. The Cowboys would have made sure that Prescott stayed with them no matter the price. However, Dallas might be unwilling to spend that much on a quarterback.
Even eight years ago, the Cowboys were so confident with Romo at quarterback, making sure that he never saw the glimpse of free agency. They signed Romo to a six-year, $108 million deal in 2013, a full season before his current contract was expired. With Prescott, the Cowboys just don’t feel the same way.
New ContractÂ
According to PFF, they estimate Prescott earning a four-year, $150 million deal ($37.5 annually). This would make him the third highest-paid player in the league behind Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.
It’s hard to assume anything about Prescott’s contract situation. However, it seems like the Cowboys don’t know if he is worth over $35 million a season.
It will be interesting to see how Prescott’s contract situation will help or hurt the Cowboy’s odds for the Super Bowl next year. Checkout https://www.sportsbetting24.in/ to see as this situation develops.
Image Courtesy of Dallas Morning News
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