I find the "are you about money or about legacy" take very interesting.
Let's say Dak does take a discount, and the Cowboys do make all the correct moves and the Cowboys wins a Super Bowl or two.
With the way several people think about Dak now, it will not improve his legacy one bit.
He will still be the guy that ....
- Cheated a "legend" out of his best chance to win a ring
- Lucked into being the Dallas Cowboys QB
- Rode Ezekiel Elliot to any success he had
- Could only win because the Cowboys built the team around him
- Played behind one of the best offensive lines the NFL has ever seen
- Was lucky that the Cowboys hired a proven, Super Bowl caliber head coach
Now those view points will not be shared by everyone, but make no mistake about it, he has very little chance to build any kind of positive legacy with many fans and "experts" out there.
You think Eli Manning is disrespected despite being a 2x Super Bowl winning MVP, while beating what was arguably the best team in NFL history in quite possibly the greatest upset of all time, and then add the fact that he did so playing against who many consider the GOAT QB not once, but TWICE.
Nope. You would probably hear how Ryan Leaf could have won a ring with "THESE Cowboys" and that Dak still does not have the talent to win at the NFL Level.
And again, that is assuming the the Cowboys actually make the right calls with the extra cap room (which is 50/50 at best).
So IMO, I couldn't care less how much Dak signs for, rather it be the vet minimum or a record breaking contract. That's between him and the Cowboys, period.
In either case, the Front Office will still need to do a good job with what they have because even if Dak signed for pennies on the dollar does not mean the Cowboys are saved. Nor does it mean the Cowboys are screwed if Dak sets a new NFL Record contract.
Simply put, if the Cowboys don't draft or sign the right players, the players fail to execute and/or Mike McCarthy or his staff flops, the TEAM is not going anywhere anyways.
Just like it was for much of the Romo Era, if it all rests on what the QB does, then the organization will not have success.