Huge difference between that time and now. Cowboys were consistently abusing the cap and had tons of dead money. Complete flip flop now with Stephen taking over. Cowboys have tons of money, 5th in the NFL with 70 million and well over 100 million coming next season.
So you wouldnt pay Mahomes 40 million or would you let him walk too? LOL
So what is your recipe? I would love to hear it. Keep drafting rookies and letting them walk when they turn out to be franchise guys and want big contracts? LOL
Sign journeyman QB's and hope to win a title? LOL
Leary was NOT a cap casualty any more than Jones is now. Leary had a degenerative knee problem and they didnt want to take a chance. Was more about THAT fact and the fact that they were already spending big on the line.
Anything else you need an education on?
Much of what you ask is subjective to the front office of that particular organisation.
Franchise quarterbacks to me in this league right now are: -
Mahomes
Wilson
Rodgers
Brees
Jackson
Watson
Wentz (yes I think he's worth the contract that they paid him) - some will disagree fair enough but with what he's had around him he's a franchise QB for me.
Ryan - I don't understand why/how people can argue against him being a franchise QB.
Potentially/likely in time
Kyler Murray
Sam Darnold
Daniel Jones
Josh Allen
Matt Stafford is somewhere between the two. I could understand arguments both sides. Brady is obviously in his last year or so and is not applicable at this point.
For a lot of people, Dak Prescott is on a par with the likes of...
Derek Carr
Andy Dalton
Ryan Tannehill
Jacoby Brissett
Jared Goff
Jameis Winston
Jimmy Garoppolo
Kirk Cousins
Prescott fits in somewhere in the above list. He's a good NFL QB but I would not term him a franchise QB as he has not shown me the ability to carry the team and win games when required. That's what a franchise QB is paid to do.
Many people do not want Prescott to be paid like one of the franchise QBs in the initial list.
If people consider Prescott to be a franchise QB then fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion but that's where I, and many others, strongly disagree.