2024 Cowboys Season Thread - We even suck at tanking. (4 Viewers)

[Cowboysfan8]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

 

[General Malaise]

The Cowboys plan to give the former first-round pick plenty of reps this offseason and during training camp to see whether Lance is a serviceable NFL quarterback, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.


Good. This is the best path forward. Let another team overpay for playoff Dak.

 

[Ack88]

Pickle up for a rough year. Calling it now.

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

I think getting Trevon Diggs back is probably a bigger addition than any of the losses were.

They’re just gonna roll with what they have, build a team around the QB and let Dak walk.

Trey Lance will get his shot next year.

ETA - If this is indeed the plan, and that means heavily investing in Oline and defense, I’m all for it.

Even if they let Dak walk, I can't see going into a season with Trey Lance as the plan. That would be a good way to prove how underrated Dak has been the last 8 years though.

I’d be interested in why you think Dak is underrated.

 

[Ack88]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

Agreed

I’m far from an overly optimistic homer, I just don’t think they’re going to be too bad

 

[General Malaise]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

Agreed

I’m far from an overly optimistic homer, I just don’t think they’re going to be too bad

Well, no.....they get four bye weeks playing Wash/NYG and are good enough to find 5-7 more winnable games.

But this isn't a team built for the playoffs and it's only gotten harder around them. They would be MUCH better off being bad, but Jerrah won't go for that. It's been like this since 1996, so I don't expect it to change.

 

[travdogg]

I’d be interested in why you think Dak is underrated.

I think he's been a solid to great QB his entire career. He's got a 99.0 career passer rating (5th all-time) he's got a 64% winning percentage (which rates out an average of 11 wins per season) and I'd argue he's had league average weapons for much of it. He's got no real holes in his game, with a good arm, very good accuracy, good decision making, and good mobility.

Yet despite that, he's often talked about like he's not a top-10 QB (I'd argue he's top-5ish) and that he's holding Dallas back. I think he takes a lot of blame for things that aren't his fault at all. He spent the early part of his career with one of the NFL's worst HCs in Jason Garrett, and now has Mike McCarthy who is a lot better, but not exactly great. Dak has had a couple down playoff games, but he's also had some very good ones. He seems to have issues with San Fran, but so do most guys including MVP year Aaron Rodgers. Its pretty much just Mahomes who seems to have their number.

I've seen a lot of discourse that Dak was somehow why they lost the Green Bay game, and I think that is silly talk. Dak didn't give up 41 points. Dak didn't allow the 3rd highest passer rating in a playoff game in NFL history to Jordan Love. I don't think it would have mattered how Dak played in that game, Dallas was incapable of stopping Green Bay.

Dak has produced despite a ton of turnover at the skill spots. It was end of career Dez/Witten and Cole Beasley when he got there, then he had Cooper/Gallup/Schultz, and now is doing it with Lamb/Ferguson. Other than Lamb I don't think any of those guys are elite players (Dez and especially Witten peaked with Romo) but Dak keeps producing. Dallas has had a good OL (though often overrated) for most of his run, though its been pretty mediocre the last couple years.

I think FAR too much is made of his playoff record. Dallas has honestly been pretty spoiled the last 18 years at QB. Romo into Dak, is better than at least 75% of the NFL has had it. I think that gets taken for granted quite a bit. If they move on from Dak, I'd bet the guy who replaces has less than a 20% chance at being as good.

 

[Bankerguy]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

Agreed

I’m far from an overly optimistic homer, I just don’t think they’re going to be too bad

Schedule is harder.
We got a lot turnovers last year. Will that continue?
Not sure we can stop the run.
Very thin at a few positions

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Not a Brandt fan, but he is not wrong here


In case you missed it, Dak said “I don’t play for money”

 

[Bankerguy]

Not a Brandt fan, but he is not wrong here


In case you missed it, Dak said “I don’t play for money”

Check the thread title…

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Not a Brandt fan, but he is not wrong here


In case you missed it, Dak said “I don’t play for money”

Check the thread title…

. Missed it

 

[Scoresman]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

Agreed

I’m far from an overly optimistic homer, I just don’t think they’re going to be too bad

Schedule is harder.
We got a lot turnovers last year. Will that continue?
Not sure we can stop the run.
Very thin at a few positions

How's the OL? Seems like lots of turnover and new talent. Could be a key question that determines how this offense turns out.

 

[Bankerguy]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

Agreed

I’m far from an overly optimistic homer, I just don’t think they’re going to be too bad

Schedule is harder.
We got a lot turnovers last year. Will that continue?
Not sure we can stop the run.
Very thin at a few positions

How's the OL? Seems like lots of turnover and new talent. Could be a key question that determines how this offense turns out.

Deeper and younger unit. Unproven, but great potential.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

Why? Its not like Washington or New York are threats. I have a hard time not seeing Dallas as a playoff team, and possible/likely division winner.

Ya, I don’t get all the doom and gloom either. We’ll see I guess

10-7 sounds right. #5 or #6 seed. Lose in first round (again). Interesting in hearing a projected different outcome.

Agreed

I’m far from an overly optimistic homer, I just don’t think they’re going to be too bad

Schedule is harder.
We got a lot turnovers last year. Will that continue?
Not sure we can stop the run.
Very thin at a few positions

How's the OL? Seems like lots of turnover and new talent. Could be a key question that determines how this offense turns out.

Deeper and younger unit. Unproven, but great potential.

Of all the positions, I'm not too concerned with offensive line. We already had a few anchors in place - Martin, Steele, Tyler Smith. I expect Guyton and Beebe to enter the year ready and able.

The rest of the offense...? Not good.

We lost a lot of players on the defensive side of the ball too. We are mostly struggling from a few missed early picks on defense... Williams, Charlton, Mazi, Jaylon Smith, LVE... I don't think we will be bottom half of the league bad but expect some regression.

 

[JohnnyU]

Yeah, I don't work for money either. I'd gladly work for peanuts

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Yeah, I don't work for money either. I'd gladly work for peanuts

It’s the lack of self awareness that kills me. This is the same guy who was holding the team hostage for 40+ MM a year, right?

 

[Cowboysfan8]

We already had a few anchors in place - Martin, Steele, Tyler Smith. I expect Guyton and Beebe to enter the year ready and able.

Don’t sleep on Bass imo

 

[Terpman22]

Yeah, I don't work for money either. I'd gladly work for peanuts

So when he signs with another team next year, he definitely won't be looking to get close to the top 1-3 QB's contracts at the time is my guess.

 

[Hastur]

Lawrence set the QB market, and Jefferson set the WR market.

No way they pay top dollar for Dak and Ceedee, especially with Parson contract coming up among many others. Money is going to play a BIG factor, and I think Dak is going elsewhere

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

"I don't play for money." isn't the same thing as "I am an idiot." or "Sure, you can dump all over me, I don't expected to be treated fairly."

Trevor Lawrence just got $55MM a year.

Reminds me of Redskins fans not wanting to pay market value for Kirk Cousins and laughing at the contract he got from the Vikings. Sure, he never won a super bowl. But the WFT have been awful for another six years when they didn't have to be. And that $28MM a year seems quaint already.

 

[Da Guru]

Lawrence set the QB market, and Jefferson set the WR market.

No way they pay top dollar for Dak and Ceedee, especially with Parson contract coming up among many others. Money is going to play a BIG factor, and I think Dak is going elsewhere

Do not understand the "set the market" with QBs and really any position. Jefferson is arguably the best WR in the game so the best should set the market.

Lawrence is not the best QB. not a top 5 QB. Not even a top 10 QB. Last year he was ranked #15 with 21 TDs and 14 INTs. Whatever a 3 year ranking is say #12 overall. Then slot the pay in the 10-14 range.

Just because it is time for a contract seems they overpay.

 

[massraider]

"I don't play for money." isn't the same thing as "I am an idiot." or "Sure, you can dump all over me, I don't expected to be treated fairly."

It would be insanely stupid for Dak to give any sort of a discount now. The time to ask Dak for a hometown team friendly deal was before they started converting all his salary into a bonus, and pushed all his money into later years, all while knowing they had a no trade, no franchise tag clause.

He has unprecedented leverage, DAL knew this was coming. They knew this time last year what Dak in 2024 looked like, from cap room perspective, and now that it's here, Dak is greedy? Come on now.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

"I don't play for money." isn't the same thing as "I am an idiot." or "Sure, you can dump all over me, I don't expected to be treated fairly."

It would be insanely stupid for Dak to give any sort of a discount now. The time to ask Dak for a hometown team friendly deal was before they started converting all his salary into a bonus, and pushed all his money into later years, all while knowing they had a no trade, no franchise tag clause.

He has unprecedented leverage, DAL knew this was coming. They knew this time last year what Dak in 2024 looked like, from cap room perspective, and now that it's here, Dak is greedy? Come on now.

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous.

 

[Ack88]

I’d be interested in why you think Dak is underrated.

I think he's been a solid to great QB his entire career. He's got a 99.0 career passer rating (5th all-time) he's got a 64% winning percentage (which rates out an average of 11 wins per season) and I'd argue he's had league average weapons for much of it. He's got no real holes in his game, with a good arm, very good accuracy, good decision making, and good mobility.

Yet despite that, he's often talked about like he's not a top-10 QB (I'd argue he's top-5ish) and that he's holding Dallas back. I think he takes a lot of blame for things that aren't his fault at all. He spent the early part of his career with one of the NFL's worst HCs in Jason Garrett, and now has Mike McCarthy who is a lot better, but not exactly great. Dak has had a couple down playoff games, but he's also had some very good ones. He seems to have issues with San Fran, but so do most guys including MVP year Aaron Rodgers. Its pretty much just Mahomes who seems to have their number.

I've seen a lot of discourse that Dak was somehow why they lost the Green Bay game, and I think that is silly talk. Dak didn't give up 41 points. Dak didn't allow the 3rd highest passer rating in a playoff game in NFL history to Jordan Love. I don't think it would have mattered how Dak played in that game, Dallas was incapable of stopping Green Bay.

Dak has produced despite a ton of turnover at the skill spots. It was end of career Dez/Witten and Cole Beasley when he got there, then he had Cooper/Gallup/Schultz, and now is doing it with Lamb/Ferguson. Other than Lamb I don't think any of those guys are elite players (Dez and especially Witten peaked with Romo) but Dak keeps producing. Dallas has had a good OL (though often overrated) for most of his run, though its been pretty mediocre the last couple years.

I think FAR too much is made of his playoff record. Dallas has honestly been pretty spoiled the last 18 years at QB. Romo into Dak, is better than at least 75% of the NFL has had it. I think that gets taken for granted quite a bit. If they move on from Dak, I'd bet the guy who replaces has less than a 20% chance at being as good.

He’s been an excellent regular season QB. I don’t how anyone can argue that. He’s not a good playoff QB. Now- is he alone for the Cowboys’ failure, there’s been bad clock management, poor defense, and some unbelievable playmaking by the other teams, but many make excuses for Dak.

When you are 2-5 in the playoffs without even a conference title game appearance, there is an issue, especially when your post season record is in juxtaposition to your regular season success.

I rarely give JJ credit, and he has made many poor contractual decisions, but he’s right here: Dak has to earn the 60+ million he will get (and deserve) if he leads the Cowboys to, at a minimum, conference title game appearance. Otherwise, the body of work is clear and there is a substantial evidence trail that he’s not the guy.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth

He's worth whatever someone is willing to pay.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

ike he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around

excuse me if I'm butting into something that I'm not fully informed on but do you mean his 160 mil contract he signed in 2001? That seems pretty reasonable to me (though alot of that might be hindsight) If you are saying he wasn't worth that much then what was he worth and what QB should Dallas have gotten instead of Dak? I think you don't resign him and pay him 60 mil a year but hey thats prob why I'm not a GM. :/

let Dak walk and go get Ewers

 

[Snotbubbles]

If not Dak, who?

 

[Terpman22]

Jerry is just waiting for that Tua extension to get an idea of what Dak "should" get. I don't see Tua getting much more, if at all, more than the one Trevor Lawrence just signed.

I see the fans are slowly starting to turn on the situation though, getting a lot of "lets just rip the bandaid off" takes I see on here and from friends IRL.

I always try to remind them how lucky they were to get back to back franchise QBs from a UDFA guy in Tony Romo to an immediate heir apparent in Dak as a 4th round pick. Its hard to remember all the way back to the Drew Henson/Quincy Carter days, but I always definitely remind them how rough a time those days were.

In summary, Jerry just either loves to "play the game" of negotiation b/c I mean, what else could it be. Maybe the businessman in him still lives for a good negotiation/cat and mouse game. I have to believe there is *some*truth in this. At the same time, I mean, it seems awfully weird the way they have things playing out.

 

[massraider]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

Translation: He negotiated the best contract for himself. After the team used the franchise tag on him, in a way, helping him leverage the best contract he could get. Jerry could have actually signed him earlier the year before to most likely a more affordable contract, but decided to let Dak "prove it" which he did. Now those numbers look like a bargain.

To be clear, he did not hold out, like Zeke did, who truly held the team hostage for a new contract, and Jerry eventually caved to a ....not good contract for Zeke (good for Zeke, not good for team).

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

Translation: He negotiated the best contract for himself. After the team used the franchise tag on him, in a way, helping him leverage the best contract he could get. Jerry could have actually signed him earlier the year before to most likely a more affordable contract, but decided to let Dak "prove it" which he did. Now those numbers look like a bargain.

To be clear, he did not hold out, like Zeke did, who truly held the team hostage for a new contract, and Jerry eventually caved to a ....not good contract for Zeke (good for Zeke, not good for team).

FOH!!!!!

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

Dak would play for free as much as Jerry is "All in" for this season. Gotta factor the PR into these statements. Not going to argue with you. If you think he should take a below market value deal coming off a career season where he finished MVP runner-up that is your prerogative.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

I think you both can be right.

The issue we have with Dak Prescott, as Cowboy fans, is he cannot be successful on his own. Meaning - he could not join a team with no offensive line, minimal weapons and be successful. You can compare Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott all you want by statistics but I believe if Trevor Lawrence was on the Dallas Cowboys and Dak was with the dumpster fire Jags - the Cowboys would get better and the Jags would be picking top 5 in the NFL draft. I look at the teams Trevor Lawrence has played with and what Dak Prescott has had... Dak has had a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball, which would account for some of the statistical wins.

There is actually a situation where you should take less money - Dak Prescott is in that situation. If you LeVeon Bell this thing, you might get 1 contract at top dollar and be out of the league or playing backup when that contract is up. If you take a bit of a discount... you allow the signing of some additional free agents and continually receive increases for the next 3 new contracts.

$46million x 10 years

or

$275million

Which is greater? It is probably a longshot to say Dak is out of the league in 4 or 5 years but he isn't going to transcend a franchise and should probably be satisfied with 45-50 million a year with the largest franchise in american sports and a great supporting cast?

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

I think you both can be right.

The issue we have with Dak Prescott, as Cowboy fans, is he cannot be successful on his own. Meaning - he could not join a team with no offensive line, minimal weapons and be successful. You can compare Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott all you want by statistics but I believe if Trevor Lawrence was on the Dallas Cowboys and Dak was with the dumpster fire Jags - the Cowboys would get better and the Jags would be picking top 5 in the NFL draft. I look at the teams Trevor Lawrence has played with and what Dak Prescott has had... Dak has had a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball, which would account for some of the statistical wins.

There is actually a situation where you should take less money - Dak Prescott is in that situation. If you LeVeon Bell this thing, you might get 1 contract at top dollar and be out of the league or playing backup when that contract is up. If you take a bit of a discount... you allow the signing of some additional free agents and continually receive increases for the next 3 new contracts.

$46million x 10 years

or

$275million

Which is greater? It is probably a longshot to say Dak is out of the league in 4 or 5 years but he isn't going to transcend a franchise and should probably be satisfied with 45-50 million a year with the largest franchise in american sports and a great supporting cast?

I get it, I really do. Trust me. I argue on X/Twitter this silly "Hurts vs Dak/who is better" thing like almost daily this time of year. It used to be Wentz vs Dak. Last year I had Dak in the Kirk Cousins top 12 range of QBs. I have to be honest and say at this point Dak is a better passer than Hurts and its hard to argue against that. I'd put Dak into the top 8 range right now. And sure, if he played in Jax, he might not be as good. But what if he was in, Say...LA or SF? So then it comes down to coaching and system. The whole "this guy wouldn't be good if the team sucked" style of argument always puzzles me. It take 2 to tango in the ultimate team sport. Unless you are Brady and you can throw to basically anyone and still win all the time. While you guys might not think he is worth a big contract, the fact of the matter is when/if Dak hits free agency....he's assuredly *going* to get a big contract. Whether its NYG, Raiders, Saints, you just need 2 teams to start a bidding war. And we have to factor in the way Dak might personally feel as well. Jerry took him to the brink last time, made him play out his entire rookie contract without signing him to an extension, and then made him play out a franchise tag too. Hence why Dak has a "no franchise tag" part of his current contract. And puts up a career year (albeit another early playoff exit) and has got to wonder "what do I need to do to get a 'fair' contract offer"


No chance Dak walks and doesn't absolutely break the bank and reset the QB market b/c you just never see guys like this enter free agency. Just my take.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

I think you both can be right.

The issue we have with Dak Prescott, as Cowboy fans, is he cannot be successful on his own. Meaning - he could not join a team with no offensive line, minimal weapons and be successful. You can compare Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott all you want by statistics but I believe if Trevor Lawrence was on the Dallas Cowboys and Dak was with the dumpster fire Jags - the Cowboys would get better and the Jags would be picking top 5 in the NFL draft. I look at the teams Trevor Lawrence has played with and what Dak Prescott has had... Dak has had a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball, which would account for some of the statistical wins.

There is actually a situation where you should take less money - Dak Prescott is in that situation. If you LeVeon Bell this thing, you might get 1 contract at top dollar and be out of the league or playing backup when that contract is up. If you take a bit of a discount... you allow the signing of some additional free agents and continually receive increases for the next 3 new contracts.

$46million x 10 years

or

$275million

Which is greater? It is probably a longshot to say Dak is out of the league in 4 or 5 years but he isn't going to transcend a franchise and should probably be satisfied with 45-50 million a year with the largest franchise in american sports and a great supporting cast?

I get it, I really do. Trust me. I argue on X/Twitter this silly "Hurts vs Dak/who is better" thing like almost daily this time of year. It used to be Wentz vs Dak. Last year I had Dak in the Kirk Cousins top 12 range of QBs. I have to be honest and say at this point Dak is a better passer than Hurts and its hard to argue against that. I'd put Dak into the top 8 range right now. And sure, if he played in Jax, he might not be as good. But what if he was in, Say...LA or SF? So then it comes down to coaching and system. The whole "this guy wouldn't be good if the team sucked" style of argument always puzzles me. It take 2 to tango in the ultimate team sport. Unless you are Brady and you can throw to basically anyone and still win all the time. While you guys might not think he is worth a big contract, the fact of the matter is when/if Dak hits free agency....he's assuredly *going* to get a big contract. Whether its NYG, Raiders, Saints, you just need 2 teams to start a bidding war. And we have to factor in the way Dak might personally feel as well. Jerry took him to the brink last time, made him play out his entire rookie contract without signing him to an extension, and then made him play out a franchise tag too. Hence why Dak has a "no franchise tag" part of his current contract. And puts up a career year (albeit another early playoff exit) and has got to wonder "what do I need to do to get a 'fair' contract offer"


No chance Dak walks and doesn't absolutely break the bank and reset the QB market b/c you just never see guys like this enter free agency. Just my take.

So you rank him around 8 but are cool as the GM paying him top 2 money?

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

Dak would play for free as much as Jerry is "All in" for this season. Gotta factor the PR into these statements. Not going to argue with you. If you think he should take a below market value deal coming off a career season where he finished MVP runner-up that is your prerogative.

It’s not that I think he should sign for less - for me, it’s the hilarity of him saying that he would play for free when up to this very minute, his Intentions have always shown to be to squeeze out the max.

I get what you’re saying about the PR game, but for me, it’s lame.

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

I think you both can be right.

The issue we have with Dak Prescott, as Cowboy fans, is he cannot be successful on his own. Meaning - he could not join a team with no offensive line, minimal weapons and be successful. You can compare Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott all you want by statistics but I believe if Trevor Lawrence was on the Dallas Cowboys and Dak was with the dumpster fire Jags - the Cowboys would get better and the Jags would be picking top 5 in the NFL draft. I look at the teams Trevor Lawrence has played with and what Dak Prescott has had... Dak has had a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball, which would account for some of the statistical wins.

There is actually a situation where you should take less money - Dak Prescott is in that situation. If you LeVeon Bell this thing, you might get 1 contract at top dollar and be out of the league or playing backup when that contract is up. If you take a bit of a discount... you allow the signing of some additional free agents and continually receive increases for the next 3 new contracts.

$46million x 10 years

or

$275million

Which is greater? It is probably a longshot to say Dak is out of the league in 4 or 5 years but he isn't going to transcend a franchise and should probably be satisfied with 45-50 million a year with the largest franchise in american sports and a great supporting cast?

I get it, I really do. Trust me. I argue on X/Twitter this silly "Hurts vs Dak/who is better" thing like almost daily this time of year. It used to be Wentz vs Dak. Last year I had Dak in the Kirk Cousins top 12 range of QBs. I have to be honest and say at this point Dak is a better passer than Hurts and its hard to argue against that. I'd put Dak into the top 8 range right now. And sure, if he played in Jax, he might not be as good. But what if he was in, Say...LA or SF? So then it comes down to coaching and system. The whole "this guy wouldn't be good if the team sucked" style of argument always puzzles me. It take 2 to tango in the ultimate team sport. Unless you are Brady and you can throw to basically anyone and still win all the time. While you guys might not think he is worth a big contract, the fact of the matter is when/if Dak hits free agency....he's assuredly *going* to get a big contract. Whether its NYG, Raiders, Saints, you just need 2 teams to start a bidding war. And we have to factor in the way Dak might personally feel as well. Jerry took him to the brink last time, made him play out his entire rookie contract without signing him to an extension, and then made him play out a franchise tag too. Hence why Dak has a "no franchise tag" part of his current contract. And puts up a career year (albeit another early playoff exit) and has got to wonder "what do I need to do to get a 'fair' contract offer"


No chance Dak walks and doesn't absolutely break the bank and reset the QB market b/c you just never see guys like this enter free agency. Just my take.

So you rank him around 8 but are cool as the GM paying him top 2 money?

If its between paying a top 8 guy top 2 money and paying a top 40 guys top 40 money, its an easy decision. We all should know how this game goes. Its a matter of timing. Is Lawrence "the best QB in the league?" Hell no. Is it worth paying him now, than say, starting over with a mystery guy? I would argue yes. This is a game where there are only like 10-12 really good guys each year, and if you have one, you gotta pay to play.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

I think you both can be right.

The issue we have with Dak Prescott, as Cowboy fans, is he cannot be successful on his own. Meaning - he could not join a team with no offensive line, minimal weapons and be successful. You can compare Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott all you want by statistics but I believe if Trevor Lawrence was on the Dallas Cowboys and Dak was with the dumpster fire Jags - the Cowboys would get better and the Jags would be picking top 5 in the NFL draft. I look at the teams Trevor Lawrence has played with and what Dak Prescott has had... Dak has had a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball, which would account for some of the statistical wins.

There is actually a situation where you should take less money - Dak Prescott is in that situation. If you LeVeon Bell this thing, you might get 1 contract at top dollar and be out of the league or playing backup when that contract is up. If you take a bit of a discount... you allow the signing of some additional free agents and continually receive increases for the next 3 new contracts.

$46million x 10 years

or

$275million

Which is greater? It is probably a longshot to say Dak is out of the league in 4 or 5 years but he isn't going to transcend a franchise and should probably be satisfied with 45-50 million a year with the largest franchise in american sports and a great supporting cast?

I get it, I really do. Trust me. I argue on X/Twitter this silly "Hurts vs Dak/who is better" thing like almost daily this time of year. It used to be Wentz vs Dak. Last year I had Dak in the Kirk Cousins top 12 range of QBs. I have to be honest and say at this point Dak is a better passer than Hurts and its hard to argue against that. I'd put Dak into the top 8 range right now. And sure, if he played in Jax, he might not be as good. But what if he was in, Say...LA or SF? So then it comes down to coaching and system. The whole "this guy wouldn't be good if the team sucked" style of argument always puzzles me. It take 2 to tango in the ultimate team sport. Unless you are Brady and you can throw to basically anyone and still win all the time. While you guys might not think he is worth a big contract, the fact of the matter is when/if Dak hits free agency....he's assuredly *going* to get a big contract. Whether its NYG, Raiders, Saints, you just need 2 teams to start a bidding war. And we have to factor in the way Dak might personally feel as well. Jerry took him to the brink last time, made him play out his entire rookie contract without signing him to an extension, and then made him play out a franchise tag too. Hence why Dak has a "no franchise tag" part of his current contract. And puts up a career year (albeit another early playoff exit) and has got to wonder "what do I need to do to get a 'fair' contract offer"


No chance Dak walks and doesn't absolutely break the bank and reset the QB market b/c you just never see guys like this enter free agency. Just my take.

You are right, Dak could walk and would command a ton of money from one of those teams you named. The problem is - would that team be better for having Dak Prescott on it's roster (over a rookie QB?). These inflated quarterback salaries and some of the beneficiaries (lesser skilled quarterbacks) of these deals are going to dry up opportunities for above average to great, aging QB's to play the game. At the end of the day, if you know you aren't a top 2 quarterback in the league... why would you assume you should be paid like one? You are owed more money because the salary cap increased? That is lunacy...

Dak goes to one of those teams and his branding takes a hit, his legacy and skill take a hit, everything is lesser because he wanted to squeeze a few extra million out of this single contract... additionally, does he fade faster because he is on a worse team with lesser weapons and a worse offensive line? I just don't think any of those teams you named are a "Dak Prescott" away from a Super Bowl.

Getting beat up about a franchise tag at the QB position is ludicrous too. The guy was franchised and paid the average salary of a top 5 player at that position... quarterbacks are very protected in the NFL, likelihood of ending up with a career ending injury at the quarterback position seems pretty low.

I fully believe fighting for guaranteed money and a lesser contract is the best approach to negotiating a quarterback salary. Take a franchise tag and re-up with more guaranteed money every year. I would take less total money to have a fully guaranteed 4 to 5 year contract and still leave extra on the books to get me some weapons.

 

[Terpman22]

Once again we conveniently forget all the events that transpired to get us here. Just like Prescott, you guys can pretend like he didnt hold the team ransom to get more than he was worth his last go around and now that hes paid and underperformed, he wants to act like it never happened.

Nobody is a calling him greedy, Were calling him disingenuous

I'm fuzzy on this. Held the team hostage?

I was wrong. Dak did everything that was in the best interest of team success.

Hes a benevolent soul who deserves everything that he gets.

I think the "Tom Brady took discounts to help team" thing really skewed people's views on what a player is supposed to do when they sign a contract extension and that is....get every single penny they can, especially in violent sport like football. I'm sure its not lost on Dak that his predecessor basically stopped playing because of injuries.

Its the GM, and in this case GM/Owner's job to put together the best roster, with the best prices and negotiate, in the team's perspective, the best deals.

I'll beat this drum for as long as possible, but the Jones' way of "lets wait until the last minute to get a deal/extension" while every single other team for the most part tries to get one done ASAP definitely hamstrings both their ability to get a team friendly deal as well as construct the best roster possible. Add in the cheapness they show with spending on free agents and the risk averse nature they have displayed to *not* make big trades to improve their roster basically gets the franchise where they are right now.

Hypothetically speaking - they let Dak walk, Lance turns out to continue to be a bust, then what? The Cowboys roster is both good enough to get 6-9 wins with Trey Lance and not as bad enough to get the top 1-3 pick required to draft a new franchise QB. Do you guys actually see Jerry making a BIG move to move up from say pick 7-15 range into the top 2 to lock whoever the new flavor might be in 2026-2027? I personally do not.

You can talk about Brady, Jerry, Trey Lance, draft picks, hamstrings, and drums all day. None of that has anything to do with Prescott asking for everything he could get and now pretending like that never happened and saying that he would play for free.

He wants to be paid like a top tier QB but doesn’t produce like one.

I mean I get what you are saying but, didn't he just finish 2nd in MVP voting? Wasn't this the best season of his career? And you got a guy that has a career high 25 TDs/4100 yards that signed for $55M per year. I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf. I just can't blame Dak for trying to get every single penny he can, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world. I guess we will see how it plays out.

More words that have nothing do with (and contradict) Dak stating he would play for free.

I think you both can be right.

The issue we have with Dak Prescott, as Cowboy fans, is he cannot be successful on his own. Meaning - he could not join a team with no offensive line, minimal weapons and be successful. You can compare Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott all you want by statistics but I believe if Trevor Lawrence was on the Dallas Cowboys and Dak was with the dumpster fire Jags - the Cowboys would get better and the Jags would be picking top 5 in the NFL draft. I look at the teams Trevor Lawrence has played with and what Dak Prescott has had... Dak has had a lot more talent on the offensive side of the ball, which would account for some of the statistical wins.

There is actually a situation where you should take less money - Dak Prescott is in that situation. If you LeVeon Bell this thing, you might get 1 contract at top dollar and be out of the league or playing backup when that contract is up. If you take a bit of a discount... you allow the signing of some additional free agents and continually receive increases for the next 3 new contracts.

$46million x 10 years

or

$275million

Which is greater? It is probably a longshot to say Dak is out of the league in 4 or 5 years but he isn't going to transcend a franchise and should probably be satisfied with 45-50 million a year with the largest franchise in american sports and a great supporting cast?

I get it, I really do. Trust me. I argue on X/Twitter this silly "Hurts vs Dak/who is better" thing like almost daily this time of year. It used to be Wentz vs Dak. Last year I had Dak in the Kirk Cousins top 12 range of QBs. I have to be honest and say at this point Dak is a better passer than Hurts and its hard to argue against that. I'd put Dak into the top 8 range right now. And sure, if he played in Jax, he might not be as good. But what if he was in, Say...LA or SF? So then it comes down to coaching and system. The whole "this guy wouldn't be good if the team sucked" style of argument always puzzles me. It take 2 to tango in the ultimate team sport. Unless you are Brady and you can throw to basically anyone and still win all the time. While you guys might not think he is worth a big contract, the fact of the matter is when/if Dak hits free agency....he's assuredly *going* to get a big contract. Whether its NYG, Raiders, Saints, you just need 2 teams to start a bidding war. And we have to factor in the way Dak might personally feel as well. Jerry took him to the brink last time, made him play out his entire rookie contract without signing him to an extension, and then made him play out a franchise tag too. Hence why Dak has a "no franchise tag" part of his current contract. And puts up a career year (albeit another early playoff exit) and has got to wonder "what do I need to do to get a 'fair' contract offer"


No chance Dak walks and doesn't absolutely break the bank and reset the QB market b/c you just never see guys like this enter free agency. Just my take.

You are right, Dak could walk and would command a ton of money from one of those teams you named. The problem is - would that team be better for having Dak Prescott on it's roster (over a rookie QB?). These inflated quarterback salaries and some of the beneficiaries (lesser skilled quarterbacks) of these deals are going to dry up opportunities for above average to great, aging QB's to play the game. At the end of the day, if you know you aren't a top 2 quarterback in the league... why would you assume you should be paid like one? You are owed more money because the salary cap increased? That is lunacy...

Dak goes to one of those teams and his branding takes a hit, his legacy and skill take a hit, everything is lesser because he wanted to squeeze a few extra million out of this single contract... additionally, does he fade faster because he is on a worse team with lesser weapons and a worse offensive line? I just don't think any of those teams you named are a "Dak Prescott" away from a Super Bowl.

Getting beat up about a franchise tag at the QB position is ludicrous too. The guy was franchised and paid the average salary of a top 5 player at that position... quarterbacks are very protected in the NFL, likelihood of ending up with a career ending injury at the quarterback position seems pretty low.

I fully believe fighting for guaranteed money and a lesser contract is the best approach to negotiating a quarterback salary. Take a franchise tag and re-up with more guaranteed money every year. I would take less total money to have a fully guaranteed 4 to 5 year contract and still leave extra on the books to get me some weapons.

For the bolded, I would say the assumption is based upon what the market pays. If the market is paying guys $55M+ per year, and some of these guys are proven less than what Dak has accomplished, wouldn't the Devils Advocate argument basically be "I'm better than this guy, I'm more proven than this guy, therefore, I should be paid more than this guy"

Herbert has zero playoff wins. Lawrence has one (against Herbert lol). If I'm Dak, those guys' contracts are my floor starting point.

And again, if Dallas doesn't want to pay him, that is fine. He WILL reset the market if another team gets a chance at him in free agency. Simply supply and demand. I'd argue some of these teams might not be Super Bowl caliber *this/next* year, but once they feel they found their guy at QB, it makes a lot of the other stuff easier. Attracting high level WR talent, etc. By all accounts, Dak is a great leader. I think a lot of players would want to play for a guy that not only is a great leader but also "won" his contract negotiations, as silly as that is to type out, its definitely a thing.

 

[massraider]

And again, if Dallas doesn't want to pay him, that is fine. He WILL reset the market if another team gets a chance at him in free agency. Simply supply and demand.

For sure. Haven't even heard about negotiations. I dunno if Dallas really wants to pay him.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

You are right, Dak could walk and would command a ton of money from one of those teams you named. The problem is - would that team be better for having Dak Prescott on it's roster (over a rookie QB?). These inflated quarterback salaries and some of the beneficiaries (lesser skilled quarterbacks) of these deals are going to dry up opportunities for above average to great, aging QB's to play the game. At the end of the day, if you know you aren't a top 2 quarterback in the league... why would you assume you should be paid like one? You are owed more money because the salary cap increased? That is lunacy...

Dak goes to one of those teams and his branding takes a hit, his legacy and skill take a hit, everything is lesser because he wanted to squeeze a few extra million out of this single contract... additionally, does he fade faster because he is on a worse team with lesser weapons and a worse offensive line? I just don't think any of those teams you named are a "Dak Prescott" away from a Super Bowl.

Getting beat up about a franchise tag at the QB position is ludicrous too. The guy was franchised and paid the average salary of a top 5 player at that position... quarterbacks are very protected in the NFL, likelihood of ending up with a career ending injury at the quarterback position seems pretty low.

I fully believe fighting for guaranteed money and a lesser contract is the best approach to negotiating a quarterback salary. Take a franchise tag and re-up with more guaranteed money every year. I would take less total money to have a fully guaranteed 4 to 5 year contract and still leave extra on the books to get me some weapons.

For the bolded, I would say the assumption is based upon what the market pays. If the market is paying guys $55M+ per year, and some of these guys are proven less than what Dak has accomplished, wouldn't the Devils Advocate argument basically be "I'm better than this guy, I'm more proven than this guy, therefore, I should be paid more than this guy"

Herbert has zero playoff wins. Lawrence has one (against Herbert lol). If I'm Dak, those guys' contracts are my floor starting point.

And again, if Dallas doesn't want to pay him, that is fine. He WILL reset the market if another team gets a chance at him in free agency. Simply supply and demand. I'd argue some of these teams might not be Super Bowl caliber *this/next* year, but once they feel they found their guy at QB, it makes a lot of the other stuff easier. Attracting high level WR talent, etc. By all accounts, Dak is a great leader. I think a lot of players would want to play for a guy that not only is a great leader but also "won" his contract negotiations, as silly as that is to type out, its definitely a thing.

That is fair and that is why I say it is possible for both you and @STEADYMOBBIN 22 to be right.

He will reset the QB market and likely be the highest paid QB in the NFL if he hits free agency but it is okay to disagree with the approach and question Dak Prescott during all of this. From a longevity standpoint, it makes more sense to take a discount. If I am interviewing for a position within a company and I say - "I want $___" and the employer says "If we pay you this, we will have to get rid of some of your assistants"... ultimately, making my job more difficult. Why would I still command the higher salary, knowing I will have to work harder to be successful?

I don't see the abundance of free agent WR's coming to Dallas to play with the world beater Dak Prescott.

He can be that guy from a contractual perspective but he isn't that guy. I think the Dallas Cowboys are coming to terms with that right now. I have been a pretty decent Dak supporter but I am good with him leaving, because I don't think Dak Prescott wins us a Super Bowl. That is the goal and I don't think we have the guy or the contract behind the guy that puts us in the best position to win.

I disagree with the idea that shoring up Quarterback at a very high cost allows you to put your head down and find talent in other positions is a great theory but if these GM's and scouts were so great at finding/evaluating talent - they would already be past the starting point of finding a QB. My stance, especially pertaining to Dak Prescott, he is a product of a great team. Pay a game manager like a top QB, erode the team around him and watch him struggle... seems like a recipe for losing.

 

[Ray_T]

As someone upstream said, Dak looked like a dear in the headlights at the start of the game. I would say he choked, but that is tough to defend when the offense put 32 on the board.

McCarthy has his prints all over the offense, and that unit performed very well this year.

Jerry has said McCarty is returning, so it seems people were simply projecting their own desires to fire MM.

The cowpokes need a power RB, and upgrades in the middle of the oline and dline, and they will be fine.

Eh, the 32 points scored is pretty misleading, 16 of the 32 were total garbage time points late when the score was 48-16, and the first 7 they were lucky to get since Dak threw a pick that GB dropped on that drive and then the TD was scored on a play where Dallas should have been penalized for a false start (which ended the half).

I think the whole team choked, starting with McCarthy, who clearly did a terrible job in getting the team prepared and ready to play.

Yeah some are gonna look at Daks stat line and it seems pretty good. Nah, he played like shyt.

hes always been a player who lights up the crappy defenses. but against any defense with substance numbers are mediocre and in some cases bad.

you'll never win a chamionship with a QB like that but you will make the playoffs plenty of times. and that is exactly what you have.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

I guess we disagree with how a player should negotiate on his behalf.

Wrong

Cowboys fans see the “I don’t play for money” **** talk that it looks like you’re ignoring

 

[Cowboysfan8]

, knowing the team he plays for is valued as the highest sports franchise in the world.

What does this have to do with anything?

 

[Terpman22]

You are right, Dak could walk and would command a ton of money from one of those teams you named. The problem is - would that team be better for having Dak Prescott on it's roster (over a rookie QB?). These inflated quarterback salaries and some of the beneficiaries (lesser skilled quarterbacks) of these deals are going to dry up opportunities for above average to great, aging QB's to play the game. At the end of the day, if you know you aren't a top 2 quarterback in the league... why would you assume you should be paid like one? You are owed more money because the salary cap increased? That is lunacy...

Dak goes to one of those teams and his branding takes a hit, his legacy and skill take a hit, everything is lesser because he wanted to squeeze a few extra million out of this single contract... additionally, does he fade faster because he is on a worse team with lesser weapons and a worse offensive line? I just don't think any of those teams you named are a "Dak Prescott" away from a Super Bowl.

Getting beat up about a franchise tag at the QB position is ludicrous too. The guy was franchised and paid the average salary of a top 5 player at that position... quarterbacks are very protected in the NFL, likelihood of ending up with a career ending injury at the quarterback position seems pretty low.

I fully believe fighting for guaranteed money and a lesser contract is the best approach to negotiating a quarterback salary. Take a franchise tag and re-up with more guaranteed money every year. I would take less total money to have a fully guaranteed 4 to 5 year contract and still leave extra on the books to get me some weapons.

For the bolded, I would say the assumption is based upon what the market pays. If the market is paying guys $55M+ per year, and some of these guys are proven less than what Dak has accomplished, wouldn't the Devils Advocate argument basically be "I'm better than this guy, I'm more proven than this guy, therefore, I should be paid more than this guy"

Herbert has zero playoff wins. Lawrence has one (against Herbert lol). If I'm Dak, those guys' contracts are my floor starting point.

And again, if Dallas doesn't want to pay him, that is fine. He WILL reset the market if another team gets a chance at him in free agency. Simply supply and demand. I'd argue some of these teams might not be Super Bowl caliber *this/next* year, but once they feel they found their guy at QB, it makes a lot of the other stuff easier. Attracting high level WR talent, etc. By all accounts, Dak is a great leader. I think a lot of players would want to play for a guy that not only is a great leader but also "won" his contract negotiations, as silly as that is to type out, its definitely a thing.

That is fair and that is why I say it is possible for both you and @STEADYMOBBIN 22 to be right.

He will reset the QB market and likely be the highest paid QB in the NFL if he hits free agency but it is okay to disagree with the approach and question Dak Prescott during all of this. From a longevity standpoint, it makes more sense to take a discount. If I am interviewing for a position within a company and I say - "I want $___" and the employer says "If we pay you this, we will have to get rid of some of your assistants"... ultimately, making my job more difficult. Why would I still command the higher salary, knowing I will have to work harder to be successful?

I don't see the abundance of free agent WR's coming to Dallas to play with the world beater Dak Prescott.

He can be that guy from a contractual perspective but he isn't that guy. I think the Dallas Cowboys are coming to terms with that right now. I have been a pretty decent Dak supporter but I am good with him leaving, because I don't think Dak Prescott wins us a Super Bowl. That is the goal and I don't think we have the guy or the contract behind the guy that puts us in the best position to win.

I disagree with the idea that shoring up Quarterback at a very high cost allows you to put your head down and find talent in other positions is a great theory but if these GM's and scouts were so great at finding/evaluating talent - they would already be past the starting point of finding a QB. My stance, especially pertaining to Dak Prescott, he is a product of a great team. Pay a game manager like a top QB, erode the team around him and watch him struggle... seems like a recipe for losing.

Prob my last response on this but.

Imagine you have been at your job for 9 years, you are very efficient at your job. Won some minor awards even and have proven to be a leader and a winner. And then your company hires a new kid and within a few years you hear he/she/they already got a raise and is now making 1.5x your salary. Has no real proven track record, or leadership. Their team is an average team. How does that make you feel? At this point are you willing to "bite the bullet for the company" and take a salary BELOW what you feel your market value is, knowing someone else inferior to you is getting paid more? Or do you hardline negotiate and threaten to go to a headhunter where you know you can get your fair salary bc your current company seems...cheap.

And I just think we disagree on what the reality of the QB market is right now in the NFL. And that is fine. The salary cap is massively jumping every year at this point and players would be foolish (IMO) to take under market deals (even if they say "they don't play for money")

And like I said, it seems the grumblings mostly are toward Dak, but you gotta agree with me that the approach the Cowboys have taken to both contract negotiations as well as roster building - mainly the fact they avoid making major trades as well as signing big name free agents - is a bit dated. My take is "yes" the Cowboys DO draft exceptionally well, but if you aren't locking in that talent asap to good deals early and refuse to basically sign any premium outside talent, it kind of cancels out this benefit of drafting so well.

Anyway, I still think the Cowboys win 9-11 games this year, but if the Dak era really is over after this year, you guys could truly go anywhere from 3-10 years until you find a bonafide quality starter at the position again. Best of luck!