What options do Cowboys have to move on from Prescott?

[rambo2]

Before any other contract is signed, the Cowboys need to figure out what they want to do with quarterback Dak Prescott, who is entering the final year of his contract with a $59.45 million cap hit and a dead cap value of $61.91 million. The Cowboys cannot realistically construct a winning team with Prescott's contract as it is, so they'll inevitably have to either extend him, trade him, or cut him.

eameam by adding
“If we get to March and the Cowboys, for whatever reason, have decided they don't want to extend Prescott… then things get interesting," ESPN's Dan Graziano said. "Prescott's 2024 money is not guaranteed. The Cowboys could cut or trade him prior to paying the March roster bonus and save $34 million on their 2024 cap."
Regardless of the salary cap, there isn't any clear path to a quarterback upgrade for Dallas. Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield will be the headliners of a lackluster free agency, and any trade will likely result in a downgrade at the quarterback position.

Finding a franchise quarterback is a daunting task, and Prescott is a three-time Pro Bowler who just had an All-Pro season despite coming up short in the playoffs again. Only a handful of quarterbacks would represent an obvious upgrade, and none of them will be available for trade. All that leaves are the quarterbacks that Dallas currently has on their roster . San Francisco gladly traded Lance away just two years after spending multiple first-round picks to draft him third overall, so it's unlikely that he's a viable answer.

"The Cowboys know how hard it is to get a good quarterback and Prescott is largely considered a top-10 passer in this league," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said. "So, it would be mildly surprising if they moved on from him, but with that 2-5 playoff record, certainly that could be a negotiating point for Dallas that comes up over the coming months."

Extending Prescott is the most reasonable move if Dallas wants to remain competitive. And remaining relative and competitive is our owners first priority. He appears to be “ All In” on this current core of stars even recently stating we will go as far as Dak takes us.

Also worth noting is in McCarthys lame duck season without a contract extension it’s very doubtful they change QB’s. That leaves us basically negotiating how big and how long the extension.

Coming off a 12 win season, they certainly can construct a winning team by adding a dominant center, a dtackle, a couple of solid linebackers, and a running back. Such a team could compete for the number 1 spot in the NFC.

 

[OGSixshooter]

Before any other contract is signed, the Cowboys need to figure out what they want to do with quarterback Dak Prescott, who is entering the final year of his contract with a $59.45 million cap hit and a dead cap value of $61.91 million. The Cowboys cannot realistically construct a winning team with Prescott's contract as it is, so they'll inevitably have to either extend him, trade him, or cut him.


“If we get to March and the Cowboys, for whatever reason, have decided they don't want to extend Prescott… then things get interesting," ESPN's Dan Graziano said. "Prescott's 2024 money is not guaranteed. The Cowboys could cut or trade him prior to paying the March roster bonus and save $34 million on their 2024 cap."
Regardless of the salary cap, there isn't any clear path to a quarterback upgrade for Dallas. Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield will be the headliners of a lackluster free agency, and any trade will likely result in a downgrade at the quarterback position.

Finding a franchise quarterback is a daunting task, and Prescott is a three-time Pro Bowler who just had an All-Pro season despite coming up short in the playoffs again. Only a handful of quarterbacks would represent an obvious upgrade, and none of them will be available for trade. All that leaves are the quarterbacks that Dallas currently has on their roster . San Francisco gladly traded Lance away just two years after spending multiple first-round picks to draft him third overall, so it's unlikely that he's a viable answer.

"The Cowboys know how hard it is to get a good quarterback and Prescott is largely considered a top-10 passer in this league," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said. "So, it would be mildly surprising if they moved on from him, but with that 2-5 playoff record, certainly that could be a negotiating point for Dallas that comes up over the coming months."

Extending Prescott is the most reasonable move if Dallas wants to remain competitive. And remaining relative and competitive is our owners first priority. He appears to be “ All In” on this current core of stars even recently stating we will go as far as Dak takes us.

Also worth noting is in McCarthys lame duck season without a contract extension it’s very doubtful they change QB’s. That leaves us basically negotiating how big and how long the extension.

We have the "options" that we put ourselves in a position for. If you've thrown the ball on 1st and 2nd down and now's it's 3rd and 10...you have limited "options".

Your reasoning would leave us with even LESS OPTIONS than we currently have. That it is to say, yes...these are our current options given how we have been doing business. We need to do business differently...then we can have a realistic conversation about options.

 

[FanofJerry]

Are we not already seeing this though? We just had the Bart Scott thread created today. We have family members tweeting and finger pointing. We have players going on podcast talking about needing accountability. We have Dlaw going on interviews saying guys were tired. We are only a few weeks in and the amount of ridiculous going on this offseason has been next level. The media is already having a field day with the Cowboys and from Dak/Lamb drama during the GB game and the fallout after there is already reason to suspect locker room issues are among us.

I'm not even sure its a need to search for the next Mahomes. It has more to do with not paying record setting money unless you find that mahomes.

You think the circus surrounding the Cowboys would be better with a cheap QB and the Cowboys 8-8?

CeeDee will be happy with a QB that turns ball over more and letting teams feast against our run game defense?

CeeDee isnt happy now supposedly...what about then? What if he isnt making playoffs for 4 years and has 650 yards? He will be happy because QB is cheap?

All that extra money is going to fill holes perfectly and cheap QB wont have any short comings?

 

[DallasEast]

However I am not confident in the quarterback scouting of this team.
They suck at DT drafting and even worse at QB drafting as they never draft a high pick one to begin with.

Consider this possibility for a moment.

• Scouting has been doing an above average job of evaluating high round quarterback prospects
• They present each prospect's pros-and-cons to Will McClay
• Will McClay consults the coaches to fine tune a targeted list
• The targeted list is delivered to Jerry Jones
• Jones does not give the list serious consideration. Why? Because he believes he is a Pro Football Hall of Fame talent evaluator and is confident in his personal and professional evaluation of Quincy Carter Tony Romo Dak Prescott.

 

[DuncanIso]

Dak is too expensive.

 

[75boyz]

We have the "options" that we put ourselves in a position for. If you've thrown the ball on 1st and 2nd down and now's it's 3rd and 10...you have limited "options".

Your reasoning would leave us with even LESS OPTIONS than we currently have. That it is to say, yes...these are our current options given how we have been doing business. We need to do business differently...then we can have a realistic conversation about options.

Great post.
I love when posts take it a little deeper than plain surface level and parroted coach speak.

Again, nice job.

 

[75boyz]

Consider this possibility for a moment.

• Scouting has been doing an above average job of evaluating high round quarterback prospects
• They present each prospect's pros-and-cons to Will McClay
• Will McClay consults the coaches to fine tune a targeted list
• The targeted list is delivered to Jerry Jones
• Jones does not give the list serious consideration. Why? Because he believes he is a Pro Football Hall of Fame talent evaluator and is confident in his personal and professional evaluation of Quincy Carter Tony Romo Dak Prescott.

Yep DallasEast,
IF each and every bulletpoint you mention here happened all leading up to the very last one was true then I would join the "just blame everything on Jerry" group too.

Some small grain of optimism still dwells inside me that Jerry's all in could include an actual all in type decision in which he acknowledges that Dak did not live up to even Jerry's football guy narcissistic ego standards and draft a highly pedigreed QB.

I know, and then hell freezes over.

 

[FanofJerry]

Dak is too expensive.

By how much?

What kind of player or players could we get with the difference?

 

[thunderpimp91]

You think the circus surrounding the Cowboys would be better with a cheap QB and the Cowboys 8-8?

CeeDee will be happy with a QB that turns ball over more and letting teams feast against our run game defense?

CeeDee isnt happy now supposedly...what about then? What if he isnt making playoffs for 4 years and has 650 yards? He will be happy because QB is cheap?

I think this assumption that losing your QB means this team automatically tail spins into 8 win seasons or worse is overplayed and strictly fear based. A lot of people thought that about Green Bay this year. Similar situation with TB losing Brady. A lot of people thought the same about Seattle the year prior. Most thought SF was done once Brock Purdy took over last year. Not saying its automatic but teams are replacing QBs easier than they every have in league history. Dak had a great season dont get me wrong, but how many wins did he really net this team?

11 times this year the defense allowed 20 points or fewer and the Cowboys were undefeated in those games. Is it unrealistic to think that a Lance or Rush would win those games? I would say Dak truly won us the Seattle game. He played out of his mind good in a game that the defense didnt even get on the bus for. Outside of that game though I just dont see where Dak was a difference maker for this teams win/loss record despite the all pro worthy stats.

I think it's a very valid argument that as long as you have a quality supporting cast the QB becomes less important. Jared Goff was written off when the Rams traded him. Now that the Lions have rebuild that offense hes viewed as a top QB once again. Jimmy G made a superbowl in a loaded SF team, once he went to LV he became a joke. Baker Mayfield was a bust who couldnt stick with a team a year ago, now he is in line for top QB money. I'm a big fan of building the team then finding your QB. I think that's a major reason so many QBs go bust in round 1. The top prospects often go to teams with zero supporting cast and flame out. IMO it made zero sense for Carolina to draft a QB last year. This year it would make zero sense for New England to grab a QB.

I'm getting off topic so I'll wrap this post up but yeah that's some insight into my view of the QB position in the NFL today. Do you need a good one? absolutely. Are they automatic to find? nope. Is it 10x easier to find a good one when the rest of your roster is good? Absolutely and that is why I would have zero fear in moving on from a QB that isn't elite. I have way more fear about paying a QB a monster deal and running the risk of not being able to fill out the rest of your roster. This is especially the case in Dallas where it's not just a Dak issue but also a Lamb, Parsons, Bland, OSA, and more to come issue.

 

[pitt33]

You really believe our ownership is prepared to transition at this time?

No they won’t.

They’re too scared.

 

[noshame]

Before any other contract is signed, the Cowboys need to figure out what they want to do with quarterback Dak Prescott, who is entering the final year of his contract with a $59.45 million cap hit and a dead cap value of $61.91 million. The Cowboys cannot realistically construct a winning team with Prescott's contract as it is, so they'll inevitably have to either extend him, trade him, or cut him.


“If we get to March and the Cowboys, for whatever reason, have decided they don't want to extend Prescott… then things get interesting," ESPN's Dan Graziano said. "Prescott's 2024 money is not guaranteed. The Cowboys could cut or trade him prior to paying the March roster bonus and save $34 million on their 2024 cap."
Regardless of the salary cap, there isn't any clear path to a quarterback upgrade for Dallas. Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield will be the headliners of a lackluster free agency, and any trade will likely result in a downgrade at the quarterback position.

Finding a franchise quarterback is a daunting task, and Prescott is a three-time Pro Bowler who just had an All-Pro season despite coming up short in the playoffs again. Only a handful of quarterbacks would represent an obvious upgrade, and none of them will be available for trade. All that leaves are the quarterbacks that Dallas currently has on their roster . San Francisco gladly traded Lance away just two years after spending multiple first-round picks to draft him third overall, so it's unlikely that he's a viable answer.

"The Cowboys know how hard it is to get a good quarterback and Prescott is largely considered a top-10 passer in this league," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said. "So, it would be mildly surprising if they moved on from him, but with that 2-5 playoff record, certainly that could be a negotiating point for Dallas that comes up over the coming months."

Extending Prescott is the most reasonable move if Dallas wants to remain competitive. And remaining relative and competitive is our owners first priority. He appears to be “ All In” on this current core of stars even recently stating we will go as far as Dak takes us.

Also worth noting is in McCarthys lame duck season without a contract extension it’s very doubtful they change QB’s. That leaves us basically negotiating how big and how long the extension.

How is Cooper Rush not competitive?
Asking for a friend.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

It is no surprise that after three decades, this dimwitted duo has not learned from past history and keep repeating the way they run things here and obviously continue failing. The same with Dak and his contract. They didn't learn from Romo when he came up for an extension and had no other options other than to sign him. Same situation here. Dak has already shown he is not the guy who will take you anywhere, other than maybe a wild card game. And with Jerry doing stupid things like hanging onto MM another year making him a lame duck, while he has a lifetime contract, that also contradicts the vision for the team. Short term or long term?......If you felt Dak is not your guy, then it was time for MM to hit the road too. Puts him in a awkward position. But he will renew the contract because he is just looking at this year to create cap space, and too lazy to look for another QB. Will be taken behind the woodshed again by Dak's agent. So prepare yourselves

This is what happens boys and girls, when one has no foresight or intestinal fortitude. You don't control your situations, they control you.

 

[FanofJerry]

I think this assumption that losing your QB means this team automatically tail spins into 8 win seasons or worse is overplayed and strictly fear based. A lot of people thought that about Green Bay this year. Similar situation with TB losing Brady. A lot of people thought the same about Seattle the year prior. Most thought SF was done once Brock Purdy took over last year. Not saying its automatic but teams are replacing QBs easier than they every have in league history. Dak had a great season dont get me wrong, but how many wins did he really net this team?

11 times this year the defense allowed 20 points or fewer and the Cowboys were undefeated in those games. Is it unrealistic to think that a Lance or Rush would win those games? I would say Dak truly won us the Seattle game. He played out of his mind good in a game that the defense didnt even get on the bus for. Outside of that game though I just dont see where Dak was a difference maker for this teams win/loss record despite the all pro worthy stats.

I think it's a very valid argument that as long as you have a quality supporting cast the QB becomes less important. Jared Goff was written off when the Rams traded him. Now that the Lions have rebuild that offense hes viewed as a top QB once again. Jimmy G made a superbowl in a loaded SF team, once he went to LV he became a joke. Baker Mayfield was a bust who couldnt stick with a team a year ago, now he is in line for top QB money. I'm a big fan of building the team then finding your QB. I think that's a major reason so many QBs go bust in round 1. The top prospects often go to teams with zero supporting cast and flame out. IMO it made zero sense for Carolina to draft a QB last year. This year it would make zero sense for New England to grab a QB.

I'm getting off topic so I'll wrap this post up but yeah that's some insight into my view of the QB position in the NFL today. Do you need a good one? absolutely. Are they automatic to find? nope. Is it 10x easier to find a good one when the rest of your roster is good? Absolutely and that is why I would have zero fear in moving on from a QB that isn't elite. I have way more fear about paying a QB a monster deal and running the risk of not being able to fill out the rest of your roster. This is especially the case in Dallas where it's not just a Dak issue but also a Lamb, Parsons, Bland, OSA, and more to come issue.

My take...Dak deserved to play hard ball and get as much as he could that first contract after playing well for 4 years at a cheap price.

I think if Dak and his agent is playing hard ball again then the Jones' maybe need to draw a line.

I dont know what limitations Dak does or doesnt have compared to the best QB's in the league. I dont know how much of losing has been on Dak vs coaches/talent.

Only the Jones' know based on coaches telling them and what Dak does on the field. For all we know...Dak could be completely clear and has a reason to ask for top Dollar. Dak isnt negotiating his contract based on wins and losses....the defense got murdered in the Playoff game...thats not on Dak.

Only the Jones' know and its up to them to determine if Dak and his agent are being reasonable or not. And only the Jones' know if they are ready to accept the possible negative consequences of going with a different QB.

 

[ReverendFelcher]

With a great defense and a real running game, the Cowboys could get to a SB with Cooper Rush. They probably wouldn't win it, but they'd be a better post-season team.

 

[thunderpimp91]

My take...Dak deserved to play hard ball and get as much as he could that first contract after playing well for 4 years at a cheap price.

I think if Dak and his agent is playing hard ball again then the Jones' maybe need to draw a line.

I dont know what limitations Dak does or doesnt have compared to the best QB's in the league. I dont know how much of losing has been on Dak vs coaches/talent.

Only the Jones' know based on coaches telling them and what Dak does on the field. For all we know...Dak could be completely clear and has a reason to ask for top Dollar. Dak isnt negotiating his contract based on wins and losses....the defense got murdered in the Playoff game...thats not on Dak.

Only the Jones' know and its up to them to determine if Dak and his agent are being reasonable or not. And only the Jones' know if they are ready to accept the possible negative consequences of going with a different QB.

No real issues with that either. Dak did deserve to play hardball the first time around and beat Jerry at his own game. If the Cowboys see another viable option outside of Dak they can realistically acquire (or is on the roster currently) for cheap they should go that route. If the Cowboys believe Dak is elevating the play of the rest of the team and is significantly contributing to wins they should keep him....especially if they see a route to keep him and still upgrade the rest of the roster. I dont have an issue with either side of it, I just wouldnt be fearful about moving on. I would be fearful of the Jones boys being complacent with the roster and running it back with a new DC.

 

[Diehardblues]

How is Cooper Rush not competitive?
Asking for a friend.

Why don’t you think he’s a consideration for our ownership?

 

[Diehardblues]

Ive made the same point in many "get rid of Dak for anyone else" threads...

And my point gets ghosted by the board.

The players would start griping and going to social media...the sports media like ESPN would have a field day with the chaos going on inside the Cowboys Locker room...

But none of the Couch GM's around here want to even consider that losing the locker room and wasting other good players careers(Tyron, Martin, Lawrence) in search of Mahommes is even a thing.

None of them. They avoid this point like its a plague to their narrative. Real GM's have many more variables to consider than these rigid "Win the Super Bowl or fire him" views around here. Its immature and played out, honestly. Just unreasonable.

Most fans who are more in the middle stay away from the Dak threads as it’s usually extremes from both sides. I’ve taken on and called out both sides. Most of them will stay away from my threads. They might post one comment but I won’t feed their narrative. Yes, they are unreasonable. They don’t want to take on moderate views.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Lol. Dak isn't going anywhere, nor should he. Cowboys know his value. Where Jerry should put his foot down and play hardball with Dak is his upcoming new contract. Force Dak and his agent to be team players and give a discount.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Play out the current deal then transition to Lance

The 49ers cut Lance after two years, after giving up multiple draft picks to get him.

I'd keep Lance, but no way I'm handing him the keys to the team with that history....

 

[LACowboysFan1]

There are options, just not any good ones:

1. Pay Dak, roll with who you have on the team and hope and pray somehow, someway, McCarthy or whoever can straighten out Dak to a SB-level quarterback.
2. Extend Dak and try to find some free agents and draftees to plug the run defense.
3. Cut Dak, eat the cap hit, and draft a qb, hoping you can find a Purdy or Brady instead of another Dak or maybe another Romo (undrafted qb)

That's about it. All 3 are a shot in the dark, not really a plan, but it's what Dallas has available...