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By Jon Machota 12m ago
There shouldn’t be much debate over the Cowboys’ biggest offseason priority: They need to sign their franchise quarterback to a long-term deal.
After the disappointing 6-10 season Dallas just finished, Dak Prescott’s value to the team has never been more clear. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even acknowledged this week that he doesn’t know how someone could have more leverage than Prescott currently has in contract negotiations.
“You would not be offering what we offered in the past if he wasn’t very special,” Jones added on 105.3 The Fan.
But those previous offers haven’t been good enough. The biggest difference between the two sides entering last year’s franchise tag deadline was Prescott and his representatives wanted a four-year deal while the Cowboys were looking for five or more. With their season over, the two sides can officially return to negotiating.
If the two sides are unable to come to an agreement, Prescott could remain with the Cowboys under a second franchise tag, one that would pay him $37.7 million next season. Under a 2021 salary cap that isn’t expected to increase like it usually has from year to year, the Cowboys have even more incentive to get this deal done as soon as possible. Dallas would have more ability to move money around under a new long-term deal as opposed to a fully-guaranteed $37.7 million one-year contract.
“One of the things we’re going to have to see is where we are, and it will affect everybody … it’s just what consequences the virus has had on our cap situation going forward and where that salary cap is going to be,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on The Fan. “What kind of cap are we going to manage into? All of those things will play a role in terms of players that we keep that are under contract, what potentially we can sign. Obviously, Dak being at the top of that list.
And then going from there.”
The Cowboys need all the help they can get on defense, and Jerry Jones noted that Tuesday when saying that any money that goes towards Prescott’s deal won’t be available to fix the other side of the ball. But it shouldn’t be difficult for the owner and general manager to see how much better off they are with Prescott long term than anything they’re going to be able to realistically add on defense.
“I’m definitely looking forward to working with Dak full-time,” said Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who didn’t get a full offseason with Prescott last year. “He’s here every day going through rehab. He’s making progress, and just as you’d expect, he’s going after it full speed.
“As far as the timeline (on his ankle injury), I don’t have the specifics on when he’s going to be doing on the field work and dates and things like that. But I do know based on the plan for his surgery and what he’s supposed to be doing and where he is, I mean, everything is right on course.
“I can’t answer the contract question. From what I see and where I am, I am very confident we are going to get that worked out. My conversation with Dak is always very positive and always with the focus on what the future holds and what we are going to do on offense, the team and his leadership.”
Here are 10 other Cowboys-related notes gathered over the last few days.
1. End of season reaction. McCarthy and Jerry Jones spoke highly of the talent on the roster before the 2020 season started. Both mentioned it being among the most talented teams they’ve been around. The end result was far below what either expected.
“The fact that we’re not getting it done, the fact that we aren’t in the playoffs right now, the fact that we don’t have a chance to get in that Super Bowl, all of that just makes me sick,” Jones said Tuesday, “because this is the heyday of our game. This is the heyday of the NFL. It makes me sick.”
What does McCarthy say to disappointed Cowboys fans?
“I clearly understand the responsibility that I have to this organization and to the fans,” he said. “I can just assure you that we’re doing everything the right way. We’re being diligent in our process to be a championship football team. And I get the disappointment. This is clearly not the way any of us anticipated the outcome of this season. But I think we have to recognize, and it’s just the facts: This was a uniquely challenging season like hopefully we never experience again.”
What grade would McCarthy give himself for his first season in Dallas?
“I don’t have grades to hand out today,” he responded. “But I’m evaluating everything that we’ve done. … I just really go back to we have a lot of work to do, and that’s starting with me. It doesn’t look the way I want it to look, but I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction.
“I think we got as far as we could as far as our operation and getting a team ready to prepare and doing the things that you need to do each and every year. But I definitely know we can be better in some areas and that’s really where my focus is.
2. Not challenging catch. McCarthy said after watching several angles of New York Giants WR Dante Pettis’ questionable catch on Sunday that he can understand why many are saying he should have challenged the play. But he doesn’t second-guess his decision to not throw the challenge flag. The catch stood, allowing New York to add a 50-yard field goal to their lead and forcing Dallas to need a touchdown in the final minutes to win the game.
“It was definitely a play you would consider challenging,” McCarthy said. “I’m still not convinced that it would have been overturned because my experience has been unless it’s clear cut, they usually stick with the decision on the field. I clearly see what everybody else saw after the fact and understand the variables that were involved, being in the scoring zone and all of that.
“Challenging plays is a process, and we have a good process in place. We spend a lot of time working on our game management, and there’s a video education segment we do each and every week. So, just like everything this season has presented to us, it’s unique. It’s been challenging, and I think clearly we all have a lot of work to do and this will be part of our evaluation process as we continue to move forward and start building our plan for next year.”
Jones did not have any issue with McCarthy not challenging the call.
“My initial reaction was that it’s very difficult to get these things overturned,” Jones said. “I was concerned about using the timeout as well.”
3. Mike Nolan’s future. McCarthy wouldn’t say after the game or the following day if Nolan would return as the team’s defensive coordinator next season. McCarthy and Jones have said that they are in an evaluation period, and there’s no timetable on when any coaching staff changes could be made.
Jones had multiple opportunities to back Nolan Tuesday morning but instead discussed how the defense needed to be more disciplined. Jones also pointed out how other teams with significant injury issues and new coaching staffs had much better seasons than the Cowboys.
“We need to wear that crown and put it in the mirror and look at it,” Jones said. “We didn’t (get it done). They did. And, so, that’s very important to analyze what we didn’t do, how we managed to be some of the ones that aren’t playing.”
4. DeMarcus Lawrence talks. Nolan doesn’t deserve all of the blame for the defense’s poor play in 2020. The talent needs to be significantly upgraded, and they have to find better ways to fit their scheme to their players. Lawrence provided an interesting response when asked Monday what he learned about Nolan this season.
“I mean, just to summarize 2020, we went through some tough battles at the beginning of the season,” Lawrence said. “Not me personally with Coach, but I’m just saying in general as a defense. We went through some tough battles, and when you’re playing with young guys on the defense, we have to take into consideration that some things that are easy for me won’t be easy for the next person.
“I respect Mike as a man because he looked himself in the mirror, and he changed some things to make us play faster and help us play better and we started to see the improvements. I mean, it was late in the season, but we started to see improvement. I really think it shined a light on the type of players we are.”
Why should fans have optimism about the Dallas defense in 2021?
“All the speculators know what we lost this year,” Lawrence said. “But also what we gained. And I mean, if they ain’t ready for the 2021 season, I’ll make sure we’re ready. That’s all there is to it. You can expect us to give it our all, make sure we come out there and dominate each and every play and make sure we show y’all the type of men that we have in this locker room.”
5. Leighton Vander Esch. It’s been difficult for the starting linebacker to stay on the field the last two seasons. He missed seven games during the 2019 season because of a neck injury. He missed six games this season because of a broken collarbone and then a high ankle sprain.
Vander Esch called the injuries “bad luck” when discussing them this week.
“I’ve never really dealt with injuries, honestly,” he said. “Like even at Boise (State), I never really had injuries. I know a lot of people said I had neck issues at Boise and that was never, ever the case … The only significant injury I had was my neck last year, and I had surgery, and I’ve had nothing but great things happen after that as far as feeling good from that surgery. I haven’t felt better about my neck, and I haven’t had any problems since. And then my collarbone wasn’t like a snapped collarbone. I just cracked it, and that’s why I came back so soon. They plated it, and it was good, stronger than my other one.
“And then I can’t control anything about anyone frickin’ rolling on my ankle. It’s not like I’m running down the field and I pull a hamstring. I haven’t had muscle problems. I haven’t had any of that. It’s understanding that it comes with the game of football. Yeah, you don’t let it ruin a future opportunity. That’s why I’m looking forward to next season already. I’m going to train my frickin’ butt off this offseason. I’m not really going anywhere. I’m going home for two weeks, and I’m coming right back. I’m going to be here training all the way through February, March and April. That’s just what it is. I’m already looking forward to it. I’m on a mission, and I think all the guys should be, too.”
6. Zack Martin. The standout right guard said he probably would have been able to play had the Cowboys made the playoffs. Martin missed the final five games of the season with a calf injury. The Cowboys expect Martin, LT Tyron Smith and RT La’el Collins to be fully healthy to start the 2021 season. Smith had his season ended in early October because of a neck issue that required surgery. Collins missed the entire season with a hip injury that required surgery. With those three returning along with Prescott, the expectation is Dallas will again have one of the league’s top offenses.
“I think on paper it looks pretty good,” Martin said. “But that’s on paper, so it’s up to us to go out (there and do it). I think obviously there’s been a lot of talk about what we can do, and I think it’s time to put that into action and actually do it consistently over a whole season. That’s on us as players to get that right, and we’re excited for next year.”
Martin, a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, is about to enter his eighth season. One obvious thing is missing from his outstanding resume.
“The saying that it goes fast, you don’t realize it until you start getting a little older and you see how important these opportunities are every year,” he said when asked about wanting to win a Super Bowl. “That’s definitely the goal. When I came here that was the goal. Even more now, where I’m at in my career. I want to win a Super Bowl. I think everyone in this building’s got that goal. Now it’s time to take a step to working toward it.”
7. Troy Aikman on Kellen Moore. The former Cowboys quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer made some notable comments during Sunday’s game broadcast on FOX in regards to how Moore’s three-year contract extension to remain Cowboys offensive coordinator came together. During his weekly Tuesday morning radio appearance on 1310 The Ticket, Aikman provided more information on what he learned about the situation.
“Based on what I’ve been told, he was offered the (Boise State) job, and he accepted the job,” Aikman said. “Then as they were working out some details, there was a bit of a disagreement, and it was then that Kellen backed out of the deal because he questioned the overall commitment of the university in supporting the football program and his opportunity to have success. And I would say that’s a great thing on his part. I believe that this was probably his dream job. I think he holds that university in very high regard.
“So for him to not then follow through, I think speaks volumes about him. That’s a good sign. If you’re a Kellen Moore fan and you’re betting on his future, you’d say, ‘Gosh, now I like him even more,’ that you’re not trying to make something work just for the sake of wanting it to work, that you’re sticking up for what you kind of believe in. So I think that’s a good sign.
“I don’t believe that it went down that all of a sudden the Cowboys stepped up and offered him a huge contract, and he says, ‘Yeah, you know what, this is really where I want to be, instead.’ I don’t feel that that’s the way it happened. But it doesn’t really matter how it happened; he’s back. And for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, I think that’s really good.”
8. First-round goal? After it became official Sunday night that the Cowboys would have the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft, I posted a question on Twitter, asking fans what they wanted the team to do with that pick. Several mentioned trading down. Most named a particular player or two. The most common responses were either of the top two corner prospects, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II or Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley. The next two names mentioned most were Penn State LB Micah Parsons and Florida TE Kyle Pitts.
These are the last five players drafted with the 10th overall pick: (2020) Jedrick Wills, OT, Browns; (2019) Devin Bush, LB, Steelers; (2018) Josh Rosen, QB, Cardinals; (2017) Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs; (2016) Eli Apple, CB, Giants.
And some other notable players taken with that pick: (2012) Stephon Gilmore, CB, Bills; (2003) Terrell Suggs, LB, Ravens; (1993) Jerome Bettis, RB, Rams; (1987) Rod Woodson, DB, Steelers; (1982) Marcus Allen, RB, Raiders.
9. Free agents. The Cowboys have 22 players about to enter free agency. We’ll take a much deeper dive in the upcoming weeks, but here’s a quick look. All are unrestricted free agents unless noted otherwise:
QB Dak Prescott, QB Andy Dalton, DE Aldon Smith, S Xavier Woods, CB Chidobe Awuzie, CB Jourdan Lewis, CB C.J. Goodwin, C Joe Looney, DT Antwaun Woods (exclusive rights free agent), WR Cedrick Wilson (ERFA), LB Sean Lee, LB Joe Thomas, WR Noah Brown, TE Blake Bell, OT Cameron Erving, DL Tyrone Crawford, LS L.P. Ladouceur, DT Eli Ankou, LB Justin March, DL Ron’Dell Carter (ERFA), WR Malik Turner (restricted free agent), OT Greg Senat (ERFA).
10. Jerry Jones got a little emotional Tuesday morning. While wrapping up his final Tuesday radio interview of the season, Jones was asked on The Fan about what he says to Cowboys fans who think he cares more about TV ratings and stadium attendance than he does about winning games.
“First of all, I care tremendous about the viewership, and I care tremendous about the attendance at the stadium,” Jones said. “I care tremendous about the attendance at training camp and the crowds that watch us practice. Fans and the promotion of the team is the promotion of the franchise. And that creates interest. And, consequently, that begets enthusiasm by networks. It causes eyeballs to be on your television.
“So, unabashed, I work every way known to man to have the Cowboys stay relevant and interesting. Where the misnomer is, is that I care any more or less about that than I do making a first down. That’s where it goes awry, and that’s just not right. Every chance that I’m given an opportunity to trade dollars, or if you will, trade an issue of visibility or an issue of promotion, every chance that I get a chance I go for the first down. Every chance.
“I’ll go all the way back to when I bought the team. That was the most money that had ever come out of anybody’s pocket to get into sport. And, somehow, God willing, I got in a spot to do it, and I gave every damn bit of it up to buy the Cowboys because I would rather have had that than the money.”
