This isn't about Prescott, it is about the team. It's not about establishing his worth. Or any QB's worth.
Do you think the Cowboys would be a championship caliber team with Mahomes or Watson? The two 40M QB's. Think Rodgers or Wilson at 35m and 33M would do it?
TB did what they did with a 25M QB considered the GOAT. KC got there with their QB still on his rookie deal. BAL and BUF got their with QB's on their rookie deals.
When NE was winning all those trophies, what were they paying their QB and why was that? Kraft even said Brady really has no choice meaning if he wanted to stay in NE and keep gathering jewelry, he had to be cooperative on the salary. Because Kraft as the owner understood Belichick the HC was all about the team.
The most successful HC in NFL history would not pay any QB 40M. He had the best and was willing to trade him if he didn't fit in the cap formula. He actually planned on doing that. There's a lesson to be learned there.
It doesn't matter what QB the Cowboys have, they cannot pay him that much of the cap because they are challenged in deciding what to pay other players. They are average team builders at best.
Because of how they distribute the cap, they have to be dead on in the draft, particularly on the D side. Are they? Are they even good in FA with the D? Paying any QB 40M only exacerbates what is already the problem along with being challenged with player evaluations.
The Dallas Cowboys are the prime example of what happens with a team paying too much to too many, it is feast and famine on the same team. And they will all stay hungry.
In the short run, the best thing they can do is get a rookie QB, keep Dalton and focus on the rest of the team. If they don't, the long run doesn't matter.
its about paying the right players....everyone keeps going back to Brady, but his situation is different. his first contract extension wasn't a gift to NE, he got paid...subsequently he has taken less, his wife makes more money than he does and his recent contracts, are not about money, but rings for him. he has been in the league 20 years.
now, for Mahomes, are you suggesting that KC shouldn't have resigned Mahomes to an extension? How about Rodgers, he was among top 3 paid for his position at the time of his contract? should GB say bah bye Rodgers. How about Wilson? should Seattle say, see ya? its a QB driven league. they get over drafted, teams take chances and they are always looking for that QB. and when you find one, you keep him. Will KC at some point have to rebuild around Mahomes? probably yes. not every coach is Bilicheck to keep his team competitive for so long.
now, we have to resign Dak. or else you are in a rebuild fishing mode for your QB and it could take years. I mean years as it has for many teams....not everybody is lucky like Indy, to draft Manning and then get Luck and have top notch QBs for like almost 25 years....and now they are fishing. they have a ready team but not the QB. and they came up short.
and you can't build through FA. you can fill in the gaps. sign a couple of high priced, maybe get a one year rental and a couple of mid level perhaps. but you have to build through the draft and for cowboys, in 15 years, 44 defensive picks we have had one impact player, namely Lawrence. there is not one defensive player we need to resign, and in fact need to get rid of Jaylon and his outrageous contract.
the problem isn't paying Dak, but Paying zeke two years before his contract ran out. paying Jaylon. Paying Martin (yes, martin). I love him. he is a great great guard. he will be a HOFer, but no team wins because they have the best RG in the league, in fact I bet you can't name the 8 guards on the championship teams without googling it.
and Dak's contract shouldn't be a show stopper for us to sign other FAs...we have 7 of the top 5 largest position contracts on the team. and we had Dak....how many more do you want?