Divorcing Dak and MM

[TheMarathonContinues]

I really feel that this strategy is coming from Jimmy Johnson advising him. During Jimmy's tenture, he never liked players/coaches feeling comfortable. This can go two ways, players/coaches rise up to the challenge to have better success in which they will get rewarded or the team will bottom out in which the rebuilding process will begin.

Jimmy would’ve tore this whole thing down. Not drag his feet.

 

[baltcowboy]

I think Trey is going to be given every opportunity to shine— and with our talkative FO— they will not miss any chance to overhype the “Lance is a franchise QB” bandwagon.

I would be surprised if Dak doesn’t play out his season though. He has to demonstrate ability to get another contract. If he struggles or gets hurt— his value goes down and he would be a year older.

He and his agent probably never thought this FO would choose the nuclear option when it came to this next contract.

Lance will be the highlight of the preseason but if he is as bad as he was last preseason with San Francisco, Dak will have all the leverage. If Lance plays well the media will start a controversy. Just like the Cowboys circus likes it.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

I really feel that this strategy is coming from Jimmy Johnson advising him.

Exactly.......some seem to think Jimmy has to be on an advisory board or official Cowboy employee to give Jerry advice.
This off-season appears to have Jimmy written all over it. Remember how he lit into the players and coaches at halftime during the GB game?

 

[Cmac]

Let me quess......Kellen Moore will be the HC in 2025.

 

[Jipper]

The heck with the divorce method, let's use the old yeller method!!!

 

[Aven8]

Let me quess......Kellen Moore will be the HC in 2025.

Hopefully Ben Johnson

 

[Cowboyny]

Exactly.......some seem to think Jimmy has to be on an advisory board or official Cowboy employee to give Jerry advice.
This off-season appears to have Jimmy written all over it. Remember how he lit into the players and coaches at halftime during the GB game?

I remember that running back fumbling in garbage time and then getting cut after the game.

 

[NDGAEDE]

Noodle-arm Practice QB Cooper Rush is 5-1 with the same roster, without 8 years of baby-sitting and tailoring an offense to Dak skill-set Buddy. This is actual, empirical data.

Go look at the amount of points Andy Dalton was putting up in 2020 in the 4 wins after the bye against the same bad teams Dak puts up points against with a “way worse” roster than what Dak starts with here.. this is also actual, empirical data..

Hmm 5 games vs. 114. I wonder which is an actual sample size that counts.

By your logic, Dak having one of the best rookie years for a QB ever and winning rookie of the year should have guaranteed a spot in the hall of fame.

Funny how those guys getting some Ws in regular season matters but Dak winning 67% of his games over eight seasons matters none at all. What is the standard here, anyways? Cause if it's stats and wins, Daks got it. If it's division titles and playoff wins, Daks got that too over those two.

You can criticize him for a lot, and you can do it fairly. You don't have to resort to imaginary and baseless claims to want a different QB.

 

[Cowboyny]

I am not sure I buy into the whole “Jimmy is now advising JJ” thing. I guess it’s possible— and I would love for it to be true.

But I think a more realistic explanation is this:

The FO kicked the can down the road, restructured deals, and made some moves to assemble a contender— and last year was the best chance to win it all.

They instead utterly and spectacularly failed.

The FO is now faced with big contract pressure and limited cap space. So they are trying to maneuver into some flexibility for 2026.

This is a soft rebuild, and now with Dak’s situation— if they move on from him— it turns into a complete rebuild.

I think they get CeeDee’s contract done. And they franchise tag Micah twice and draft some bodies to replace him.

I just don’t see them signing him to a record setting contract as a defensive player.

They are the one's who messed up the cap in the first place, could of gotten Dak much cheaper if they would of signed him earlier. They caved to his agent's demands and gave him a 4 yr deal in which they wanted the 5th yr and on top of that gave him a no trade/no franchise clause. By kicking down the road his cap dollars, they are the one's to blame for this mess. Dak and his agent have all the power at the moment.

On top of this, they are handing out big extensions for players who aren't deserving: Gallup/Steele look like awful contracts, Wilson/Hooker look just as bad. Why give Zach Martin more money at his age? Hell, they are still eating Zeke's contract on their books.

Stephen Jones strategy of just building through the draft isn't working and he is making matters worse by overvaluing his in house talent and giving them huge extensions.

Either you sign the likes of Dak, Lamb, Parsons or you go full rebuilding mode and trade them all. The problem is, by keeping Dak on his current contract, that could possibly lose him for a 3rd rd comp next offseason. Both Lamb/Parsons would want out if Dak departs as well.

 

[kevm3]

It really began with Dak "betting on himself ", his whole approach was selfish. Refusing to sign for 5 years, which would have given the team more flexibility with the cap, why so they would have to renew him sooner than later? He put his team over a barrel. He ain't that dude he overestimated his value. Bro, you are the QB of the Dallas Cowboys. You are getting revenue from all sorts of endorsements because of that fact. Hell, even your after football career is cemented if you would want to go into broadcasting. You should be doing all you could to free up money to keep/bring in as much talent as you can get around you, because once again, you ain't that dude. Make no mistake, this is equivalent to the Amari Cooper (not taking covid vaccinations)situation, not following protocol, that is going to get your bags packed. Difference is they can't trade you, so they are going to smoke you out. Others didn't see it, but I noticed first with Stephen barked about the team wanting the five year deal vs four. Then they aggressively traded for Lance when the opportunity came. Now things have shifted they now have the leverage to let you walk, even if Lance is a bust they already are showing they are pursuing avenues to replace you. But you made a bunch of money you will be alright.

lol how is it selfish to not give the same team a sweetheart deal that refused to extend you and made you show what you could do? Dak ended up getting injured that season as well. This FO likes to play hardball and they often don't have any other option if the player says no, so they end up having to pay historically high to retain that talent.

Also, if Amari didn't want to inject something in his body he didn't want, why should he have to? Jerry and crew once again are on the losing end of that trade. Who did we sign with that talent or who did we bring on with that 5th rounder or whatever we got?

This is why you bring in a GM.

 

[Hawkeye19]

They are the one's who messed up the cap in the first place, could of gotten Dak much cheaper if they would of signed him earlier. They caved to his agent's demands and gave him a 4 yr deal in which they wanted the 5th yr and on top of that gave him a no trade/no franchise clause. By kicking down the road his cap dollars, they are the one's to blame for this mess. Dak and his agent have all the power at the moment.

On top of this, they are handing out big extensions for players who aren't deserving: Gallup/Steele look like awful contracts, Wilson/Hooker look just as bad. Why give Zach Martin more money at his age? Hell, they are still eating Zeke's contract on their books.

Stephen Jones strategy of just building through the draft isn't working and he is making matters worse by overvaluing his in house talent and giving them huge extensions.

Either you sign the likes of Dak, Lamb, Parsons or you go full rebuilding mode and trade them all. The problem is, by keeping Dak on his current contract, that could possibly lose him for a 3rd rd comp next offseason. Both Lamb/Parsons would want out if Dak departs as well.

Oh this mess is 100% the FOs fault. They absolutely made their bed and now they have to sleep in it

 

[nightrain]

They reached a plateau with Dak before his 2nd contract. It's the Joneses that are the problem.

 

[OGSixshooter]

If Trey can play MM stays.
Dak...........R.I.P.

I think this is the MOST disturbing development of them all. Somehow, someway...MM is seen by Jerry as not "owning" his allegiance to Dak...in fact, we don't really know if MM believes in Dak or is just doing Jerry's bidding. So the fact that Jerry has seen MM for 4 seasons and thinks, "Yeah...this is the leader of men I need to get us over the top..."

that's depressing.

 

[4lifecowboy]

Oh this mess is 100% the FOs fault. They absolutely made their bed and now they have to sleep in it

It really isn't that big of a mess. They gamble that Dak was their man, they compensated him accordingly, now they arent willing to gamble on him again so they are letting the chips ride.

 

[khiladi]

Hmm 5 games vs. 114. I wonder which is an actual sample size that counts.

By your logic, Dak having one of the best rookie years for a QB ever and winning rookie of the year should have guaranteed a spot in the hall of fame.

Funny how those guys getting some Ws in regular season matters but Dak winning 67% of his games over eight seasons matters none at all. What is the standard here, anyways? Cause if it's stats and wins, Daks got it. If it's division titles and playoff wins, Daks got that too over those two.

You can criticize him for a lot, and you can do it fairly. You don't have to resort to imaginary and baseless claims to want a different QB.

 

[khiladi]

Hmm 5 games vs. 114. I wonder which is an actual sample size that counts.

By your logic, Dak having one of the best rookie years for a QB ever and winning rookie of the year should have guaranteed a spot in the hall of fame.

Funny how those guys getting some Ws in regular season matters but Dak winning 67% of his games over eight seasons matters none at all. What is the standard here, anyways? Cause if it's stats and wins, Daks got it. If it's division titles and playoff wins, Daks got that too over those two.

You can criticize him for a lot, and you can do it fairly. You don't have to resort to imaginary and baseless claims to want a different QB.

Let's make this a little clearer, because you seem to be lost.

I'm not the one defending Dak, you are nor am I anywhere stating I want Cooper Rush, Andy Dalton or Trey Lance as my starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys. What I am saying is the empirical evidence clearly demonstrates that Dak is an over-rated bum, surrounded by a bunch of talent that has carried him. This can be illustrated by the following reasons:

1. 114 games in and he still sucks and in year 8, they had to dumb the offense down for him even further to the point they were having him bail after his first and second read.
2. By my logic, we never should have signed Dak on his first contract, as 2017 and 2018 revealed he was a bum anyways, when Zeke was suspended and when they got rid of Dez, to make the offense "Dak friendly". I am also not saying we should not franchise tage Rush or sign him to 50 million a year either.
3. By MY logic, Cooper Rush, a practice QB with a noodle arm went 5-1 with the same roster and even Andy Dalton did better here with a worse roster, as they had shelved a prime Zach Martin for the season, than Dak, so all the actual EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE points to the fact Dak doesn't have the roster excuses and he has been padding stats against bums and being in weaker division.

 

[Cmac]

Hopefully Ben Johnson

....but Jerry would do the unthinkable........Kellen Moore, our next HC. Book it.

 

[Whiskey Cowboy]

Dak is on his last stretch as the Cowboys QB1 and he knows it.
The team has lesser talent now and hey let's face it some of our stars have lost faith in the Dakster.
If there's a QB controversy it will be between Trey and Rush as I highly doubt Dak finishes the season as the starter.
Things will go south very quickly esp if the top end of our schedule is against playoff teams.

This looks to be the case. Dak has struggled with lesser talent throughout his career. Many have forgotten that he led the NFL in interceptions just two seasons ago, while having missed 5 games. Have we already forgotten that Cooper Rush went 4-1 with that same team?

His stock is as high as it will ever be right now. He'd be a fool to not waive that no-trade clause and cash in on a mega deal, before he has to play out this year on a depleted team. If the plan is to move on, it makes more sense for everyone to work out a trade deal and eat the cap hit this season.

 

[Whiskey Cowboy]

....but Jerry would do the unthinkable........Kellen Moore, our next HC. Book it.

You shut your mouth before he hears you!

 

[Robster8989]

Good thread and comments Hawkeye, thank you.
I believe that last years team was close, but a professional football GM could easily see that there were holes, and good coaches and teams exploited these holes.
Our nepotistic system lacks the accountability necessary to build a champion, because it is not capable of taking responsibility.
Every off season is a blame game for the Cowboys. It's the coach's fault, the QB's fault etc, when the real fault lies with the Owner/GM, who created the team. I hate when things go bad for the team, and they show Jerry up in his box, looking down disapprovingly. Look in the mirror Jerry, this team is your creation and was built in your image.
OK, stepping off soapbox.

I am obviously disappointed in the off season. As I mentioned, I felt this team was close, just needed some clever gamesmanship with the cap, some value FA signings and a good draft, and I felt we could be right there. I believe there was a very clear path to make some cap space, keep the important players, and fill some holes, but it all started with Dak's deal.

Obviously, they chose a different path.
I agree that Dak is not a 60 mil QB, no way. I think they overpaid him the last time (and it's one of the reasons we are in this situation right now), so if they are simply trying to not make a mistake like that again, I understand it, hard as it may be to watch.

To me, Dak is a good QB in the regular season, but his playoff struggles are telling. I saw it in his eyes in the GB game, he was panicked, and it was just the 1st Q and we were only down 7-0 at the time. You CAN'T have a QB like that making top of the position $. That kind of money must be reserved for game changing players, players who can single handedly take a team on their back and over the top.
A player like Dak needs to understand his limitations. His price should be in the Cousins realm, not the reset the market realm.

I have no idea what happened, though one possibility is the Cowboys were thinking about an extension in the Cosuins range, and Todd France was thinking reset the market. If that is the case, and the team said "NO", then I understand why they did it, hard as it is to accept. We simply cannot pay Dak a top of the market deal, and maintain a team good enough around him to hide his deficiencies.