Prescott Contract Watch Thread...

Cowboysrock55

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When negotiations initially began, I thought he'd be in that $25M - $28M range. Which is where I still think he should be paid.

I hate the idea of paying QBs top 5 money just because "it's their turn".
Unfortunately top 5 QB money is now in the 36+ mil per season range. Wilson set that standard. That's where the top QBs will be paid. So 32 mil is no longer what I would consider tier one QB money.
 

Rev

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The thing is that "top 5 money" will be a sliding scale for a while. It just keeps going up.
Exactly. We are just shocked by the number because its new. 2 years from now we will be talking about the guy getting 50.
 

Simpleton

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Mahomes and Luck will almost certainly eclipse Wilson within the next 2 years, Goff probably will as well and I think it's at least a coin toss that Watson and Mayfield will get more than 35 as well if they continue on the path they're on. So if we can get Dak done at roughly 32 AAV I'd imagine he'll be somewhere around the 8th-10th highest paid QB in a few years.

With that said, the franchise tag in 2020 is almost certainly going to be somewhere in the 32-33 range so there's honestly no point to giving him 34 or 35 or whatever right now. Might as well just hold firm on ~32, franchise him if he doesn't take it, and if he tears it up over the next year or two then you can feel comfortable giving him 36-37 or whatever, and if he doesn't, you can still probably get him for 32-34 and if he really tanks you're saving yourself from a big mistake.

32 AAV is more than fair right now and if he wants to play hard ball and bet on himself, so be it. Give us a Super Bowl or turn into an MVP candidate and nobody is going to bat an eye at 35+ AAV.
 

Sheik

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I’d be perfectly fine with giving him top 5 money if he performed like a top 5 QB.

He’s not that good, he’s not even close to turning into that guy. He’s a pro, he’s a really good leader, he’s a pretty damn good football player, I just can’t wrap my head around him being paid along the lines of guys who have won SBs and guys that put teams on their back and keep them relevant even when the team surrounding them aren’t that good.

Pay the man fairly, but don’t handicap your team, you’re going to need the precious cap space to put pieces around the guy.

Anything over $28mil per is insane. I can’t even believe I’m saying Dak Prescott should make $28mil per. It’s like paying supreme price for unleaded gas.
 

Rev

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I’d be perfectly fine with giving him top 5 money if he performed like a top 5 QB.

He’s not that good, he’s not even close to turning into that guy. He’s a pro, he’s a really good leader, he’s a pretty damn good football player, I just can’t wrap my head around him being paid along the lines of guys who have won SBs and guys that put teams on their back and keep them relevant even when the team surrounding them aren’t that good.

Pay the man fairly, but don’t handicap your team, you’re going to need the precious cap space to put pieces around the guy.

Anything over $28mil per is insane. I can’t even believe I’m saying Dak Prescott should make $28mil per. It’s like paying supreme price for unleaded gas.
I'm pretty sure most will agree with you but its just the price you pay for that position. Somebody will pay him that and then we are looking at Rush or White in a couple of years? Its just a number shock right now and in a few years 30 will be the new 20.
 

Sheik

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I'm pretty sure most will agree with you but its just the price you pay for that position. Somebody will pay him that and then we are looking at Rush or White in a couple of years? Its just a number shock right now and in a few years 30 will be the new 20.
Very true.
 

Simpleton

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Theoretically I'd consider the idea of tanking if someone were willing to toss us a 1st and change for Prescott because this year's QB class should be very good, but ultimately all we'd really be doing is wasting the prime years of a very talented roster in the hopes of recreating a similar window to what we have right now.
 

bkeavs

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Let him play out this year and if all things go well, we can franchise him for the following year for around $28 per. 2 more years of sample data before making an awful cap contract
 

L.T. Fan

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Let him play out this year and if all things go well, we can franchise him for the following year for around $28 per. 2 more years of sample data before making an awful cap contract
Sounds good. Nothing says the organization has to sign him right away. The question might be what if he joined Zeke on the sofa. The season would be flushed.
 

p1_

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Sounds good. Nothing says the organization has to sign him right away. The question might be what if he joined Zeke on the sofa. The season would be flushed.
But he’s not, which might be more intriguing
 

Couchcoach

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It goes without saying that the season goes down the shittter if Dak sits. Who knows, Zeke may very well sit this one out as well.
But for once I absolutely agree with and support the Jones boys. Stephen made it clear that we have a team to keep together. And I like seeing him play hardball with these guys wanting cap-killiing contracts.
 

bbgun

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Ever notice how his defenders call him a "winner" but not an "elite, franchise quarterback"?
 

Couchcoach

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Ever notice how his defenders call him a "winner" but not an "elite, franchise quarterback"?
That's exactly what they say! He has a good regular season record and one wildcard win. Pair that with 22-23 TD throws per season, and you get an average/below average QB. If I'm paying my franchise qb big money, I want him to give me more than that. I also want him to win with his arm as well.
 

mcnuttz

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Sturm is right, they should have handled this shit in the offseason.

What a circus, just like Jerry likes it.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Sturm is right, they should have handled this shit in the offseason.

What a circus, just like Jerry likes it.
I don't know if it really distracts Cooper or Dak. They are just going about business as usual. I'm not worried about them. Zeke is absolutely a distraction but he has put us between a rock and a hard place. If you just cave on a guy with 2 years left on his contract and give him a mega deal you've now opened the door to every young player on the team to hold them hostage. But at the same time you don't want the distraction to win this season.
 

Rev

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I don't know if it really distracts Cooper or Dak. They are just going about business as usual. I'm not worried about them. Zeke is absolutely a distraction but he has put us between a rock and a hard place. If you just cave on a guy with 2 years left on his contract and give him a mega deal you've now opened the door to every young player on the team to hold them hostage. But at the same time you don't want the distraction to win this season.
Not every young player is going to.be able to do this. Elite players are always priveledged.
 

Smitty

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Dak Prescott’s bold mega-deal demand, the Giants’ changes and Derek Carr’s ‘big games’





By Michael Lombardi Aug 15, 2019


Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wants a new deal. Not any new deal: He wants a blockbuster deal, a mega deal, a deal to break all other quarterback deals, a once-in-a-lifetime deal. According to Jane Slater of NFL Network, Prescott and his agents are looking for a contract that pays an average of $40 million per year.

Look, I like Prescott as a person and player. However, he reminds me of one of my favorite lines when evaluating talent, which comes from former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson: Some players have world-class moments, some have world-class careers. For the record, I’m not sure Prescott has displayed a world-class moment during his time in the NFL, let alone a world-class career.

Contract negotiations are always a challenge. Often, the player or his representative has an entirely different view than the organization that is offering him a new contract when it comes to that player’s impact on winning or his overall performance. There is a disconnect concerning “how much,” not in terms of money but in terms of impact. Agents love players who can make an impact — it’s the best way to get to the top of the market. Defining how much one player can do that is often hard for clubs. Plus, agents also include a creative negotiating belief centered around the unknown: "“If they don’t sign Prescott, the Cowboys are screwed because they don’t have anyone else who could play.”" It’s a fascinating belief considering the Cowboys found Prescott in the fourth round and may be able to find another just as good.

There comes the point in every negotiation that doing a deal is far worse than not doing one. If Prescott wants $40 million a year, then ignore him and start preparing for life without him. The No. 1 requirement to successfully running any business or sports franchise is being able to say the word no. That word is a lifesaver. Uttering the word no means no one player can hold an organization hostage and no one player can dictate terms. Saying no in the NBA is hard. Saying no in the NFL? Not so much. There are maybe five to 10 players in the NFL who are not replaceable, and those players are impossible to say the word no to. Successful teams must be able to demonstrate restraint, discipline and a total belief that they can find a player similar to the talents of the one they are not allowing to dictate terms.

We are now in an era of sports where the contract value next to the player’s name is more important than any of his game stats. Prescott, as a fourth-round pick, was an incredible bargain for four years. The Cowboys had an opportunity to build their team and cap around a cheap rookie deal and never were able to take advantage of the benefits of having a starting quarterback for discount prices. Now, with no discounts, they must fit all their good players into their cap. Prescott has good numbers: He is 33-18 as a starter and 15-10 on the road, including the playoffs, and demonstrates the ability to execute on third down. For all those who claim Prescott’s numbers are the same as Eagles starter Carson Wentz, they are not watching the same tape I’m viewing. Wentz was the MVP in 2017 before a knee injury cost him the rest of the season. He almost carried the Eagles to the playoffs and backup quarterback Nick Foles completed the job. Wentz impacts the game. Wentz has had world-class moments. Prescott has not.

With Cooper Rush and Mike White as the backups for the Cowboys, it’s clear replacing Prescott is not in the cards. Neither is paying him $40 million, which means their options are simple. Let him play it out this year, draft his replacement in the spring and give him the franchise tag for one more year — or until he starts being reasonable. Trying to force-fit a contract now won’t be suitable for the short or long term. The best thing the Cowboys can do is wait.


[HR][/HR]NFL notes


• Giants co-owner John Mara said offseason changes were necessary because the team wasn’t winning with those players, according to Tom Rock of Newsday.

“You don’t like to see all of that talent go out the door,” Mara said of the departures of Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins and Olivier Vernon. “But let’s face it, we’ve had one winning season, 2016, here and the other five or six years have not been so good since we won that last Super Bowl. So we needed some drastic changes.”

I agree on the Giants needing changes, but how does Mara not see those changes must start with quarterback Eli Manning? The Giants are 2-13 combined in September and October over the last two seasons. No team with a so-called “franchise quarterback” has only two wins in the first two months in the last two years. The Giants need more changes.

Daniel Jones, their first-round pick, looked excellent in his first live action of the season. He showed good touch, timing and accuracy. He needs to play a ton in the next three weeks and be given a “real” chance to become the starter.

• The Eagles look like a complete football team after week one of the preseason. They have depth in the offensive line and players who are hard to block one-on-one on the defensive line. Rookie second-round pick Miles Sanders out of Penn State will be a big-time contributor early.

• Without a doubt, the Browns are better, but they have zero depth on the offensive line, and if they lose any one of their starters, it might be ugly. Greg Robinson, the former high draft pick of the Rams, was a pleasant surprise last year at left tackle. I am not sure he can duplicate that season, and I have my doubts with Chris Hubbard at right tackle. The Browns will only go as far as their offensive line takes them.

• Every mock draft has a ton of wide receivers in the early rounds, and when the games start in the summer, it’s free-agent wide receivers who jump out with their play. Preston Williams of the Dolphins and Jakobi Meyers of the Patriots look like the real deal. They are both big and physical with excellent hands, and even though they don’t have top speed, they have enough quickness to win and separate from defenders. The receiver position is often the poorest evaluated at draft time.

• On “Hard Knocks,” we learned all about Antonio Brown’s foot problem and the helmet controversy that almost derailed his career. There was not much going on in the latest episode, other than Derek Carr claiming he has played in big games and no practice could ever make him nervous. Seriously, in what big game has Carr ever played? The Las Vegas Bowl against USC when he was at Fresno State? Carr is 32-46 as a starter and 10-13 in games played after Dec. 1. Unless I missed a playoff game, or a near playoff game, I am waiting for Carr’s first big game — even after head coach Jon Gruden announced with high voice inflection the Rams are coming. As I wrote about last week, Carr shows no leadership skills or command to get any of his teammates to follow him. Backups Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman show even less. The Raiders better be looking for a backup now, and my guess after this season, they might be looking for their permanent starter.

• In the opening game of the Steelers preseason, we saw second-year wide receiver James Washington, Brown’s potential replacement, excel. Washington won’t replace Brown, and he will fill the JuJu Smith-Schuster role as Schuster takes over Brown’s role. Two huge indicators for the Steelers to have a tremendous season happened in Tampa Bay on Friday. Devin Bush was a tackling machine and Washington showed his playmaking skills.

• David Montgomery of the Bears was electrifying and serves as further evidence that good backs are available throughout the draft. Montgomery will give the Bears loose plays, and in Matt Nagy’s offense, he will be able to showcase his versatility.

• Former Raiders head coach and television announcer John Madden often said, “When you have a lot of something, you don’t have anything.” No more actual words were relevant as they apply to the Redskins. They have a lot of quarterbacks in the depth chart but don’t have a legitimate starter.

• With many teams having joint practices, the NFL should televise them at night and give the fans more insight into their teams. The joint practices showcase the starters and feature the best versus the best and would provide fans with a better viewing experience than preseason games.

• Another week we have to say goodbye to another member of the NFL community. Long-time wide receivers coach Darryl Drake died in his sleep on Sunday. “We’re all devastated,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “I really can’t think of any other appropriate words.” To the Drake family, I offer my sincere condolences.
 

Smitty

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^ 100% agree.

Play out this year, draft a QB high in next year's draft, including trading up if you have to. Franchise Prescott and let him play one more year while the QB marinates, or trade him ASAP.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Not every young player is going to.be able to do this. Elite players are always priveledged.
This is unchartered terretory for an elite young player to hold out with 2 years left on a rookie deal. If you're Vander Esch a couple years from now why wouldn't you do the same if you see the team just cave and give a guy the largest contract ever at his position? Unless of course you care more about winning than getting paid right away.
 
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