My problem with Jerry Jones is that he finds a quarterback with the talent to start and he's done.
Since Jimmy's departure 29 years ago, the Cowboys have drafted 1 quarterback in the top three rounds of the NFL draft. Jerry has been forced to overpay his starting quarterbacks because he chooses to have zero other options at the position.
If the Cowboys had followed a simple process of drafting one quarterback in the top three rounds every three years he wouldn't have been forced to pay Dak a HOF/SB MVP contract. He would have created a level of competition that enhanced the performance at that position and he quite possibly would have had future excellent trade value.
Instead, he finds one potential starter and checks off the position for the next ten seasons. He fills the backup role with some marginal performer with limited skills and no future potential.
Now with a 17 game regular season schedule the need for additional options at QB become even more critical. So long as one quarterback is still in the 4 year rookie contract window, it isn't necessary to push a fifth of the cap in one direction. I can see doing this with a guy that took the team to a championship. Otherwise, Jerry is just paying for unrealized potential.
From 1993 to 2021 there have been 143 quarterbacks drafted in the top three rounds, an average of 4.5 quarterbacks per team and the Cowboys have drafted one..
I think about this a lot too, and I’m not sure it’s fair to blame the GM on this one.
Let’s consider who are truly the franchise quarterbacks who have proven they can take the team with them over the last 20 years, and/or are just damn good clutch performers in the playoffs?
Rodgers - 1st
Peyton - 1st
Big Ben - 1st
Mahomes - 1st
Eli - 1st
Brees - 2nd
Russell Wilson - 3rd
Brady - 7th
Kurt Warner - Undrafted
I notice you use the first three rounds in your example, but I think you still need to stick with the first round. As you can see on the list above, if you don’t find that primetime quarterback in the first round, you have just as good of odds in the second round as you do in the seventh round. Yes, I didn’t include Nick Foles on purpose. Doesn’t have the multiple big game appearances OR a decade of franchise dominance like everyone else on this list. Even looking at some of the youngest stud quarterbacks who haven’t had a chance to do much in the playoffs like Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert, they’re first rounders.
I also don’t think it’s fair to blame Jerry on this one because both Romo and Dak were never drafted to be THE starter. Compared to Aikman his rookie year or even Quincy Carter the year he was the second round pick, you knew they were going to PLAY. They were just insurance, hoping on better depth, and being realistic about the current quarterback situation. Both were accidental starters. Romo never would’ve even made the roster if not for Quincy Carter being cut. Dak never would’ve started if Romo hadn’t been hurt again. But give credit to both of them because when allowed to play, they made the most of it.
I think there is a real danger in assuming low draft picks will be like a Tom Brady and grow into an All Pro, because it rarely happens. It’s common to see the average physical talent or mechanics quarterback eventually take a team somewhere late in their career, but I think it can be a trap contract for many teams early in the players life. Most quarterbacks have problems with learning NFL defenses, getting used to the speed, getting used to the pressure and the big stage, or get hurt, which is why I think you’re always safer with the guy who’s already shown he has an ungodly arm or physical talent that made him worth that first round pick.