[Mike Fisher] What If Cowboys Dak . Trade? Cut? Retire? Fish Report

[Runwildboys]

I don’t know how Dallas fans feel, but strictly as a content creator I enjoy this guy’s personality. But two points he didn’t mention, one bad, one good for the “dump Dak” crowd:

1. Dak has a 90m$ cap hit in 2025. There is something Jerry did EVERY YEAR on his previous deal to carry a heavy QB contract and still be competitive. He restructured the deal. Over and over and over again. What this means is it greatly improves today’s cap hit but adds more to the next 5 cap hits. Jerry is 100% going to do that in 2025, and he’s 100% going to do that in 2026. The only reason he wouldn’t is because he’s already planning to trade Dak EIGHT GAMES INTO SIGNING THE BIGGEST PER YEAR DEAL IN NFL HISTORY. Obviously that is not the case, so those restructures will happen, and a 90m$ 2025 cap hit will not. Why bring this up? Because those will make cutting/ trading him in 2027 (June 1st or not) unrealistic. Really surprised Fish didn’t bring this up. Earliest out then is probably 2028, but even that would come with a lump sum. You have to re-sign Micah, you have to re-sign Smith to a historic OG contract, you have to re-sign Ferguson, you have to pay high draft picks… Dak is getting restructured multiple times.

2. This is the good for trying to get rid of Dak: it has happened in small amounts, and is extraordinarily unlikely to come fruition, but…..

If Dak has a deal in place with the next team, you could try and convince him to give the signing bonus back.

I know it’s a ridiculous ask, but Dak could agree if it makes a trade feasible and that money goes right back into his account with the next team. Devin White gave money back to Philly to entice them to cut him and reduce the cap hit. He wanted to go somewhere he’d play more. So there is precedent. Definitely never occurred with a number this big, but it would greatly minimize the cap hit in a trade.

Unfortunately, they'd have to be willing to start a different QB over Dak, for him to feel like he'd get more playing time elsewhere. This, that seems like a nearly impossible scenario.

 

[nate dizzle]

Instead of paying Dak they could of drafted a rookie QB, and saved a ton of money. They probably be in the same position they're in now with the wins and losses.

I wonder if they could have fixed the D line and O line situation by throwing 60 million a year at it

 

[SinceDayOne]

My question is simply this: Are the powers that be inside the Star thinking about options to move on from Dak? Maybe not in 2025 but soon there after?

Fisher can sometimes be a mirror into what the Joneses are thinking. Not always but sometimes. They use Fisher to float ideas from time to time.

But this could be Fisher just addressing the swarm of fans interested in replacing Dak.

You never know with Fisher.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

I don’t know how Dallas fans feel, but strictly as a content creator I enjoy this guy’s personality. But two points he didn’t mention, one bad, one good for the “dump Dak” crowd:

1. Dak has a 90m$ cap hit in 2025. There is something Jerry did EVERY YEAR on his previous deal to carry a heavy QB contract and still be competitive. He restructured the deal. Over and over and over again. What this means is it greatly improves today’s cap hit but adds more to the next 5 cap hits. Jerry is 100% going to do that in 2025, and he’s 100% going to do that in 2026. The only reason he wouldn’t is because he’s already planning to trade Dak EIGHT GAMES INTO SIGNING THE BIGGEST PER YEAR DEAL IN NFL HISTORY. Obviously that is not the case, so those restructures will happen, and a 90m$ 2025 cap hit will not. Why bring this up? Because those will make cutting/ trading him in 2027 (June 1st or not) unrealistic. Really surprised Fish didn’t bring this up. Earliest out then is probably 2028, but even that would come with a lump sum. You have to re-sign Micah, you have to re-sign Smith to a historic OG contract, you have to re-sign Ferguson, you have to pay high draft picks… Dak is getting restructured multiple times.

2. This is the good for trying to get rid of Dak: it has happened in small amounts, and is extraordinarily unlikely to come fruition, but…..

If Dak has a deal in place with the next team, you could try and convince him to give the signing bonus back.

I know it’s a ridiculous ask, but Dak could agree if it makes a trade feasible and that money goes right back into his account with the next team. Devin White gave money back to Philly to entice them to cut him and reduce the cap hit. He wanted to go somewhere he’d play more. So there is precedent. Definitely never occurred with a number this big, but it would greatly minimize the cap hit in a trade.

Good post!

 

[Hawkeye0202]

My question is simply this: Are the powers that be inside the Star thinking about options to move on from Dak? Maybe not in 2025 but soon there after?

No! What a capital N..........fans have to understand that how they feel about Dak is the total opposite of how Jerry feels. Like it or not, Jerry trusts Dak as the starting quarterback for the next 3-4 years 100%. As mentioned earlier, they structured Dak's contract the same as his previous one, which is to restructure several times.
For me........I would use the next two years to build the strongest defense and OLine possible and year 3 draft his replacement.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

The way out is to draft a QB, let him sit behind Dak for a season, and then try to trade Dak. I think if Dak sees the keys being handed over to another QB, he might be ok accepting a trade.

How many 1st rounders do you think we'd have to give a team to entice them to trade for him?

I think even a GREAT gm would have to give up 2 firsts and some change to offload Dak. Sooooo.... we'd have to give up 3 firsts and change? More?

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

Imagine....just 3 months ago....we were free. FREE! all we had to do....was NOTHING.

And we INTENTIONALLY gave up our freedom. Walked right into the prison cell, with our own feet....nobody making us with a gun to our back.... we just walked right in and shut the door and threw the key out the barred window.

And now we have a self-imposed life sentence.

Imagine the posts in here if we HADNT had done this deed: "only 7 more weeks of Dak"!!! "Who do we want for our brand new QB and identity next year?" "I CANT WAIT FOR 2025 AND A NEW START!!!"

Now...those posts are years away. And not just 2 or 3 years....but YEARS AND YEARS away. We've serving life....and we did it ourselves.

AND SO MANY OF YOU ZANY ZONERS TOLD US TO WALK INTO THE PRISON CELL. I can still read the posts from 4 months ago....you Daksters, lobbying for people to walk into the prison cell, sign the contract, and throw away the key.

3 months ago we were free. That freedom seems like ages ago though. Thanks Daksters.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

We CANT just cut him. We would be completely uncompetitive for several years.

As apposed to what we are now.

HA HA HA.

 

[noshame]

He says, Dak would have gotten the same contract had he become a free agent? Uh, no teams actually watch him play Sorry, fish brain.
It's also possible for the team involved in a trade to pay back the Cowboys a portion of the signing bonus.

But, if you cut him after June 1st and spread 90 million over 2 years and draft a quarterback. So what? you've got a stud quarterback, and you're only paying him a rookie contract, so do it, Jerry.

 

[atlantacowboy]

How many 1st rounders do you think we'd have to give a team to entice them to trade for him?

I think even a GREAT gm would have to give up 2 firsts and some change to offload Dak. Sooooo.... we'd have to give up 3 firsts and change? More?

It all depends on what he does next year. His contract numbers will be more palatable in 2026 for a trade as QB salaries continues to rise. If he puts up 2023 numbers, there is no problem trading him. Matt Stafford used to be Dak. He put up lots of big numbers but couldn't win big games. A ring changes a lot of perceptions.

Lots of QBs get better with a change of scenery. So, there is no reason to think teams won't be interested. We have 3 great examples in the NFC aside from Stafford of QBs who improved when put in the right situation: Darnold, Mayfield, and Geno Smith.

 

[DuncanIso]

I'm all for the trade or retire. BUT no one's gonna trade for that contract and Sleepnumber ain't giving all that money up by retiring.

The near 90 million dollar cap hit next year all but guarantees they won't cut him.

truth. they added onto the existing 50M+ dead cap money for 2025. Might as play him if they pay him.

But 2026 is different.

They can Post June 1 cut him.

 

[DuncanIso]

Yeah can't we take on most of the hit?? Or maybe that ankle or whatever just doesn't ever heal right and he's not able to play well

2026

 

[visionary]

My solution:

Trade Micah for 2 1st rd picks
Trade Diggs for a 1

Now you have 3 1s in 2025 and 2 1s in 2026

Draft QB in rd 1
Dont restructure Dak and take cap hit
Draft DT and DE with 2 other rd 1 picks
CB in rd 2
WR in FA

Play Dak to start 2025 season and play rookie second half

Tell Dak we are starting the new QB in 2026, he can sit or be traded in 2026

Simple but Jerry doesn’t have the nuts

 

[Rayman70]

The most likely scenario is retirement. New fiance,kid, couple that with all the injuries. Writing is on the wall. I see no world by which he's a cowboy in 2 years. All this concern over this contract is a waste. Relax guys. He's more than likely retiring in a couple years. His body has been thru too much. So basically if we want to draft a stud QB we can. Nothing is hindering us from doing so. Except maybe Jerry and Stephen. Those 2 behave as if they are preparing to sell the team. It's weird.

 

[Creeper]

I'm all for the trade or retire. BUT no one's gonna trade for that contract and Sleepnumber ain't giving all that money up by retiring.

The near 90 million dollar cap hit next year all but guarantees they won't cut him.

Remember, If Dallas trades him his new team only picks up his salary. His pro-rated bonus remains with Dallas. Would a team desperate for a QB sign Dak and pay his $47 million salary? Would you be happy if Dak took $47 million instead of $60 million?

His salary is only $40 million in 2026. I think a lot of team would take him for that amount.

But even if they trade him the problem is his pro-rated bonus numbers. There is around $103 million in bonus sitting on the books for 2025-2028 which would all hit in 2025.

Cutting him after 2024 is out of the question. He is already guaranteed his salary for 2025 and the $103 million in bonus would accelerate. They can reduce that by about $23 million if they make him a June 1 cut. But overall his CAP number would increase to over $120 million.

If he retires, the Cowboys are equally screwed.

The best they can do is trade him after the 2025 season, but his 2026 salary of $40 million would already be guaranteed. His contract is that bad.

 

[LOBO7]

The way out is to draft a QB, let him sit behind Dak for a season, and then try to trade Dak. I think if Dak sees the keys being handed over to another QB, he might be ok accepting a trade.

Or draft a Qb and let Dak sit behind him

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

fish, being fish. putting something out there that's way out there to get attention and clicks.
I never read any of his stuff, because often they are not realistic and are stupid or obvious

 

[blueblood70]

The most likely scenario is retirement. New fiance,kid, couple that with all the injuries. Writing is on the wall. I see no world by which he's a cowboy in 2 years. All this concern over this contract is a waste. Relax guys. He's more than likely retiring in a couple years. His body has been thru too much. So basically if we want to draft a stud QB we can. Nothing is hindering us from doing so. Except maybe Jerry and Stephen. Those 2 behave as if they are preparing to sell the team. It's weird.

it's not that type of injury.. you guys are ridiculous he will be here two more years.. it's not that type of injury that's gonna make him worse next year.My gut says alot like 2021 after 20200 dak comes back hard from dospaointm,ent an dhas somehting to prpove hopefully with beter staff and supportign xcaSTand has great seaosn..Literally his worst injury actually career threating comes back and throws 37 tds and 10 ints and we won 12 games and made the playoffs. Its almost a mirror image of 2020 this season and bookend MM tenure here and will end..

so somehow you think him coming off that actual ridiculously bad injury and didnt have any real effect, a hamstring somehow will set him back worse??!! .lmao nice not happening....

 

[shabazz]

Dak will be the starter here for the next 2 years....at a minimum.

My only question is what the rest of the roster will look like.

Any further debate on Dak is an exercise in futility

 

[Coogiguy03]

Remember, If Dallas trades him his new team only picks up his salary. His pro-rated bonus remains with Dallas. Would a team desperate for a QB sign Dak and pay his $47 million salary? Would you be happy if Dak took $47 million instead of $60 million?

His salary is only $40 million in 2026. I think a lot of team would take him for that amount.

But even if they trade him the problem is his pro-rated bonus numbers. There is around $103 million in bonus sitting on the books for 2025-2028 which would all hit in 2025.

Cutting him after 2024 is out of the question. He is already guaranteed his salary for 2025 and the $103 million in bonus would accelerate. They can reduce that by about $23 million if they make him a June 1 cut. But overall his CAP number would increase to over $120 million.

If he retires, the Cowboys are equally screwed.

The best they can do is trade him after the 2025 season, but his 2026 salary of $40 million would already be guaranteed. His contract is that bad.

No his play is that bad