Dak's contract will end up the middle of the road within a couple of years. That was never my concern with his contract. I believed, and still do, that the contract was a financial mistake on Dak's part. I firmly believe that in this day and age where personal branding is king, Dak missed an opportunity to develop his brand like no one before him. I believe he could have made MORE money overall by accepting a really, really good home-team offer. Part of the contract negotiations would have included guaranteed language on the Cowboys' part to make mention that other signings were possible because of Dak's "sacrifice."
Picture this...you have a press conference where Dak accepts a 5 year, 100 million dollar, fully-guaranteed contract. Stuns everyone because it is so much less than expected. Ridiculously low based on the market. Dak comes out and speaks to the press, and the fans personally, with language like this. "Winning is more important that getting to say I'm the highest paid guy in the league. Mr. Jones has a made a commitment to spend every dollar saved on this contract to bring in the best players at every position on the field. And, just like everyone who enjoys the games from home, it's not lost on me how much money this contract already is. I am humbled and thankful for the fans that make this possible. And, I want to make sure we have the resources necessary to win." Any way...something to that effect. I would have swung for the fences on endorsements, not the contract.
I completely understand that I'm in the minority on how this could have worked out since no one is doing what I have suggested.
I have thought the contract was a mistake on Dak's part all along. But not so much because the cap wouldn't bear it. It looked like the cap was going to increase in a way that would make the contract manageable to me. I just think it was a missed opportunity.
My opinion has nothing to do with whether or not Dak is worth it as a player. I think he got around market value. His salary had nothing to do with us getting ejected from the playoffs yet again. His play, and many others on the team, are the reason we sat at home last off season.