Dallas City News

Last week, the Dallas Cowboys crossed off a major task on their offseason to-do list when they signed CeeDee Lamb to a new four-year, $136 million extension.

Sprinkle in a few signings of veteran players in Carl Lawson, Jordan Phillips, Linval Joseph, and Dalvin Cook, and suddenly, things look to be peaches and cream. However, not long ago, the cries for Jerry Jones to hand over general manager duties reached a deafening volume due to their lack of moves or extensions before the season.

The Athletic published its sixth annual NFL agents survey, in which 31 agents weigh in on various team-related topics and the upcoming season. The Cowboys were at the center of a few discussions.

Quote from one agent: “Cowboys. I don’t think they want to win above all. Jerry (Jones) wants to turn profits and make headlines. I think the game has passed him by.”

It’s not a good look when America’s Team doesn’t receive a vote for one of the best-run teams in the league and three votes for being one of the worst. What could contribute to Dallas receiving a few votes is that Jerry Jones isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and could have had a few run-ins with the agents who anonymously voted.

Jones can sometimes attract unwanted attention to the team when they might want to stay in the shadows. This offseason alone, the headlines were dominated by comments about being “all in,” leaves falling off trees, and not feeling a sense of urgency in contract negotiations with his star players.

The team’s owner wears multiple hats for the organization, leaving fans questioning whether his heart is still running the Cowboys’ day-to-day operations. People can be critical of what Jones says and might not agree with everything he does, but it’s hard to question his commitment to the team.

In this iteration of the Cowboys, Stephen Jones and Will McClay are heavily involved with the team-building process and have done an excellent job drafting and developing talent, resulting in three consecutive winning seasons. While agents may feel Dallas can be a circus sometimes, they aren’t on the same level as the Carolina Panthers or Las Vegas Raiders.

But with continuing to walk on thin ice this offseason, the gap is too close for comfort.

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One of the most fascinating questions entering the 2024 season across the league is what will happen to Dak Prescott’s contract and where he will play in 2025. For the second consecutive season, quarterbacks around the NFL have reached record-setting extensions, elevating the market for a player of Prescott’s caliber.

Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa will earn between $53 and $55 million a year with their new contracts. According to The Athletics’ recent quarterback tiers, Prescott ranks above all three of the aforementioned signal callers, two of whom are in tier three.

Outside of Patrick Mahomes, one could argue Prescott is the second most underpaid player at his position, considering his regular-season success since signing his original contract extension with Dallas in 2021. Prescott has 31 wins since 2021, trailing just Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts.

The regular season statistics are great, but they feel like empty calories to some. Prescott has yet to make an NFC Championship in his career and has just two playoff wins against a middling Seattle Seahawks team in 2019 and a less-than-special Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in 2022. Winning in the postseason is challenging regardless of your opponent, but if Prescott is about to re-set the quarterback market, some NFL agents need to see more.

“Hold the line. Once you start paying guys that crazy money, they effectively own part of a team. You can get a $5 million QB and win eight games. Maybe Jerry is getting hip to that reality.”

“The issue is whether Dak is a top-five QB. He was in the regular season, but is he a difference-maker? I think Dallas is doing right by seeing what he’s worth.”

“Yes, but I would love to see him hit free agency to see how the leverage plays out for that level of quarterback.”

“Pay Dak and make him the game’s highest-paid QB — if he helps the Cowboys reach or win a Super Bowl this season.”

Looking at either scenario through a cynical lens, the grass could prove not to be greener on the other side. If Prescott and Dallas part ways in 2025, the Cowboys could find themselves in a situation similar to the Las Vegas Raiders, with a quarterback battle resulting in a winner who doesn’t inspire confidence in winning more than seven games.

If Jones gives Prescott a record-setting contract, the situation could also resemble that of the Cleveland Browns, but the production doesn’t match the price tag, much like what has happened with Deshaun Watson and the Browns over the past two seasons.

Looking at it with a glass-half-full approach, maybe the Cowboys stumble on another Prescott in the 2025 draft who carries the franchise at a financially responsible price tag for four years. Or Jones hands Prescott a new deal, and he builds off his MVP runner-up season and becomes the player they’d always envision he became—cementing himself as a top-five quarterback.

In every scenario, there’s risk involved. That’s what happens when a team is faced with a $60 million decision. Keep it in your pocket or back up the Brinks truck. The Cowboys have less than a week until the regular season in Cleveland. If they can’t reach a new deal with Prescott, Dallas wants their quarterback to prove he can finally get to the end of the rainbow, where a potential championship and pot of gold await the franchise quarterback.