We will know in the upcoming offseason if this is Dak's last year

[dsturgeon]

Maybe Mike is on the same timeline as Dak's contract, and the future is determined on that. If there is a new coach, he can bring in a new qb.

If Dan Quinn takes over after next year, I am sure he could stack out a defense with a rookie qb contract, and setup the run game.

 

[USArmyVet]

Are you and @MountaineerCowboy married or just dating?

So you take a legitimate thread topic and hurl your typical BS insults toward members.....all because they dare question your precious Dak? Grow up already.

 

[nightrain]

The Cowboys have already begun he 1st phase of the Dak reclamation project by moving on from Moore. I don't see 2023 being Dak's last year. Half the league at best has a QB they consider their guy and Dak consistently ranks in or near top 10 at the position. I am not a big Dak supporter, but you have to understand the landscape and whether or not there is a real opportunity to improve. It's also important to remember who the GM is what he considers to be a worthy draft pick at QB (Johnny Football anyone?).

Throwing darts at a draft board hoping you find the next Kurt Warner is a losing proposition out of the gate. Unless the Cowboys blow it all up, get rid of everyone for draft picks and then tank to get the #1 pick in 2024, and HOPE to land a winner, I don't see a logical way to imminently move on from Dak. By all means they should be drafting/signing QBs every year to at least see if they can hit on something.

 

[Sarek]

Don’t watch every Cowboy’s game. I missed 3 or 4 games in December last few years cause I like to travel. When I think about those games I never feel like I missed something important, try it for yourself, you might like missing a few games.

 

[dsturgeon]

Don’t watch every Cowboy’s game. I missed 3 or 4 games in December last few years cause I like to travel. When I think about those games I never feel like I missed something important, try it for yourself, you might like missing a few games.

to each their own, I would suggest streaming them on the internet

 

[fivetwos]

I’ve never staunchly defended the guy, but I always thought it was possible we could win with him.

I no longer do. His problems go way beyond ‘just getting beat,’ and I finally see that thanks to several around here who know their on field stuff much better than I do.

For that I thank you all for explaining the roots of my misery.

And no Jerry, THREE playoff wins away from the trophy isn’t “close.”

 

[Ranching]

2023 is his only Guaranteed money year which amounts to 31 million and 49 million against the Cap.
2024 he has 0 Guaranteed cash and his cap hit is 51 million.

There really is no decision here after last season's debacle that an extension is equivalent to NFL suicide.
If one is given then blow it up as the aftershock of this will be a major fan loss and a divided team in turmoil as the locker room will at some point explode!
I fear Daks going away present to the franchise that made him a very rich man will be 2 upcoming very dismal seasons for us.

Patience as we will know within the next 3 months give or take which direction our team is heading.

I hope they restructure him.....just because I enjoy reading the hate! Come to think about, you guys will hate the next guy too.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Jerry is absolutely extending Dak. It is not even a question. Dak's contract was made to push all that money to this offseason for an extension. There is no way Dallas can spend 25% of its cap on Dak and hope to compete. Heck, the Eagles have 2 first round pick including the 10th overall. Just keeping up with them is going to be a tall order.

 

[Ken]

2023 is his only Guaranteed money year which amounts to 31 million and 49 million against the Cap.
2024 he has 0 Guaranteed cash and his cap hit is 51 million.

There really is no decision here after last season's debacle that an extension is equivalent to NFL suicide.
If one is given then blow it up as the aftershock of this will be a major fan loss and a divided team in turmoil as the locker room will at some point explode!
I fear Daks going away present to the franchise that made him a very rich man will be 2 upcoming very dismal seasons for us.

Patience as we will know within the next 3 months give or take which direction our team is heading.

This is true.

If they take a qb in the first 4 rounds, that would be an indicator as well.

I know where my money is, extension.

 

[USArmyVet]

While the cap hit of near $50M is a lot, the fact is by designating BOTH Tyron Smith and Zeke as post-June 1st release players Dallas can save nearly $24.6M against the 2023 cap (splitting their combined $19.8M in dead money between 2023 & 2024).
Then add in restructuring Zack Martin's deal (which has a 2023 cap hit of $19.8M) and Dallas could free up an additional $10M for 2023. Lastly, and while not a fan of his at all, if Dallas were to restructure Demarcus Lawrence's deal which has a 2023 cap hit of $26M there could be another $10M to be saved toward 2023.

So with 2 post-June 1st release candidates and 2 player restructures Dallas would create an additional $44.6M toward the 2023 season. This would allow Dallas to bring back some key players (ex. Pollard, McGovern, Wilson) while possibly bringing in a free agent or three.

The fact is Dallas does not have to restructure Dak's deal but rather do what it needs to do be done to put all the pressure on Dak in a make it or break it 2023 season.
If Dak doesn't get the job done then you go to him at the end of the season and say "Dak, you have a 2024 salary cap hit of $52.1M with $39.9M in dead money. We have gone as far as we can with you as the starting QB so either you remove your no-trade clause and we find a better fitting team for you as their starting QB or we simply release you and call it a day."

 

[USArmyVet]

This is true.

If they take a qb in the first 4 rounds, that would be an indicator as well.

I know where my money is, extension.

Look for Hendon Hooker out of Tenn. in the 3rd round (he has dropped due to a torn ACL which may cost him a decent amount of his rookie season) or Tanner McKee out of Stanford in the 2nd round as guys Dallas could/should look into.

 

[Ken]

Jerry is absolutely extending Dak. It is not even a question. Dak's contract was made to push all that money to this offseason for an extension. There is no way Dallas can spend 25% of its cap on Dak and hope to compete. Heck, the Eagles have 2 first round pick including the 10th overall. Just keeping up with them is going to be a tall order.

I think the Eagles are going to have a hard time maintaining anything close to what they have this year. They know it, that is why they pushed all their chips in.

Hargrave, Gardner Johnson, Graham, Quinn (LOL), Kelce, Bradbury, Seamalu, Dillard, Kyzir White, TJ Edwards, etc.

They have 5 million or so in cap room and can free money up by restructuring 32 year olds Slay and Johnson.

They have problems.

 

[NumOneQB]

It would make sense to restructure him and invest in bringing in other impact players. That would involve an extension, so you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. With Magic Mike going into the stretch run on his contract and Jerry headed into the stretch run on life, I don’t think we’ll see a big change at QB. They’ve hitched their wagon to Dak. Magic Mike has to be smart and figure out how to not end up like the Vikings. Dak and Cousins appear to be the same QB…..

 

[Ken]

Look for Hendon Hooker out of Tenn. in the 3rd round (he has dropped due to a torn ACL which may cost him a decent amount of his rookie season) or Tanner McKee out of Stanford in the 2nd round as guys Dallas could/should look into.

Would be a fan of that pickup, that guy impressed the hell out of me.

 

[mardwin]

Bad organizations constantly make poor business decisions. Dak is getting extended at least 3 more years because the idiots running the show believe he is the best QB they can get, and are willing to overpay.

 

[Chuck 54]

2023 is his only Guaranteed money year which amounts to 31 million and 49 million against the Cap.
2024 he has 0 Guaranteed cash and his cap hit is 51 million.

There really is no decision here after last season's debacle that an extension is equivalent to NFL suicide.
If one is given then blow it up as the aftershock of this will be a major fan loss and a divided team in turmoil as the locker room will at some point explode!
I fear Daks going away present to the franchise that made him a very rich man will be 2 upcoming very dismal seasons for us.

Patience as we will know within the next 3 months give or take which direction our team is heading.

Wow, that’s a lot of unsubstantiated hyperbole.
Divided team? No, there’s no evidence of that at all, just you thinking it should be.
Locker room explosion? Laughable. We have one of the tightest locker rooms ever.
Loss of fans? Never happen. Didn’t happen through the 5-11 seasons or the Garrett era. Certainly won’t happen on this site. Even those of you who can’t stand Dak as your QB will never leave the Cowboys. You love the Cowboys just as much as you love posting every thought you can come up with about Dak.

This is not even a question in anyone’s mind but those who want another QB. When Dak’s contract first came out, everyone knew that he was the QB for the foreseeable future. This past season he counted less than 20 million on the CAP, and everyone know there WILL be a restructure or extension. The Cowboys never Planned and will never have Dak’s 49 million on the cap this season. They structured his contract the way they wanted it and they will follow the plan.

Some fans may hate it, but it’s silly to even consider this a decision to be made. It was already made before the contract was ever signed. Keep complaining and hating or get on the train and hope the Cowboys can make the minor changes and additions to get over the hump. Either way, you should just accept that these decisions have already been made, and the constant negativity changes nothing other than making it hard for many fans to enjoy this forum. Even if you and others are proven correct, 3-4 years from now, it still will have changed nothing. Your only joy will be in having been correct. My joy will have been in making the playoffs with a competitive team and having hope every year.

Having been a fan since 1966, I watched Tom Landry guide the Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons, 19 NFL playoff appearances, 13 division titles, but only two Super Bowl victories. Even with Landry, Lilly, Meredith, Staubach, we were known as the team that couldn’t win a big game. I’ve learned to enjoy the game and be hopeful even when Landry chose Craig Morton over Staubach, even when he thought it was a good idea to alternate the QB by running them back and forth every play.

If Dak plays 10-12 years with the Cowboys, gets us to the playoffs 5-6 times but never wins a SB, I’ve seen much worse. Personally, I believe Dallas is closer than they’ve been in a long time. This year….not enough depth at CB or OL and not enough playmakers on offense, all exasperated by inconsistent QB play.

The defense is not elite, but it’s in a good place and moving in the right direction. A team that wants to play complimentary football cannot neglect depth at CB and OL and hope they stay healthy. They cannot win with a good, not great QB with only 1 WR, hoping a bunch of JAGs step up. Most importantly, they cannot pay a RB what is almost starting QB money when he’s actually no longer a RB.

Try being hopeful. It’s better.

 

[Chuck 54]

Do they restructure his deal to reduce his cap hit...and get him more weapons? Or do they take the extra cap space and make the defense stronger and sure up the run game? I think the latter of the 2. I think they now know they cannot put it on him. He looked great against Tampa. But to win a Super Bowl he would have had to win 3 more games. And that just might to much to ask of him considering his ceiling.

No matter what you do on defense, you have to have a functional offense. You have to have depth on the OL and you must have at least 2 receivers who can beat man coverage, allowing the JAGs to be occasional contributors. You cannot have JAGs at your #2 and #3 spots.

Cut Zeke, add another real RB, find a #2 receiver in FA or by trade. Then address DT, CB, LB, OL depth by every means possible.

 

[Mr_437]

If Dan Quinn takes over after next year, I am sure he could stack out a defense with a rookie qb contract, and setup the run game.

This seems to be the winning model in the era of the mega deal QB. As you stated, Dallas is close to having a Championship D, and are said to be working on improving the run game this off-season. Perfect situation for a young QB or even a lower cost veteran QB.

Jerry is absolutely extending Dak. It is not even a question. Dak's contract was made to push all that money to this offseason for an extension. There is no way Dallas can spend 25% of its cap on Dak and hope to compete.

You're exactly right, the plan from the jump was to restructure the deal this off-season that's how the contract was made. Now to deviate from that and not restructure would be a significant development, but I think Jerry n Stephen are riding with Dak. They have no backup plan.

 

[PAPPYDOG]

Jerry is absolutely extending Dak. It is not even a question. Dak's contract was made to push all that money to this offseason for an extension. There is no way Dallas can spend 25% of its cap on Dak and hope to compete. Heck, the Eagles have 2 first round pick including the 10th overall. Just keeping up with them is going to be a tall order.

GL on that so-called "competing" with Dak at QB.

 

[Creeper]

The Cowboys have got to do something with Dak. The $49 million CAP hit this year is going to stifle their roster. They have 3 choices. 1. Do nothing and take his CAP hit in 2023 as it is, which probably means he is done in Dallas after this season. 2. Restructure his contract to convert some of his $31 million salary to bonus, but if they do this they they are essentially making it impossible to cut him next year without taking a huge CAP hit. Keep in mind in 2024 CeeDee, Diggs, and Tyler Biadasz will be free agents. They probably pick up CeeDee's 5th year option giving them an extra year but 2026 isn't going to be any better if they restructure Dak. If they do restructure Dak then they will almost certainly extend his contract out another 2 - 4 years. 3. They trade Dak this offseason. I know that sounds unlikely, especially without another option at QB, but the Cowboys did get rid of Moore and a bunch of other coaches so maybe they are willing to churn Dak they was they churned Cooper and Collins last year. Maybe they move up in the draft and take a promising young QB. I don't see this as a likely option but maybe they surprise everyone. You can see Jerry fantasizing about drafting the next Troy Aikman, or a guy he sees as the next Troy Aikman.

Based on the history of this team, and Jerry's style in the past, I think they try to extend Dak's contract. If you are going to do it, this might be the best time to do it. With Dak having a bad ending to the season maybe this is the time to give him an extension at the lowest cost.

I think a reasonable review of the offense leads to the conclusion they need more help at WR, RB and OL. I do think they have the parts on the OL when they are healthy. That doesn't mean if a road grader OG is available in the 1st round I wouldn't take him, but I don't think it is as urgent as years past.

If they can settle this Dak question now and focus on improving the defense I think they might have a good chance to get another shot at the playoffs in 2023.