It’s NFL combine week, which means we get to read into hundreds of quotes from the Cowboys braintrust during the offseason downtime.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones finally gave us some of those quotes on Thursday, discussing everything from the league’s new CBA proposal to the Cowboys’ own big time free agents. Jones said that he voted “yes” on the new CBA, which would cut the preseason to three games while expanding the regular season an extra week, among other changes.
Jones went on to say this is probably “his last contract,” which is a pretty heavy statement to take in. Jones has been the Cowboys owner since the last 1980’s, taking the Cowboys into a new stratosphere in terms of international brand.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: “I’m on probably my last contract.” New CBA would run through the 2030 NFL season. pic.twitter.com/dVfu6Nwd8A
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 27, 2020
One thing Jones hasn’t been able to accomplish in quite some time, however, is bringing that elusive championship home to Dallas. Given that he views this CBA as his final contract negotiation at the league level, he may feel increased pressure to get his own internal negotiations done. Primarily negotiations with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide out Amari Cooper, of course.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on no longer being able to tag both Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper in 2020 league year: “It’s what it is. We’ll just have to figure out a way to (get it done). … There’s no question it’s going to put on a bigger angst.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 27, 2020
Jerry Jones spoke to those deals as well, with the terms around the new CBA potentially making it more difficult to retain both Prescott and Cooper. Difficult, but not impossible. Jones said that “it is what it is” in terms of getting a deal done under a new CBA, saying that these deals have to get done regardless of the degree of difficulty.
Stephen and Jerry have both been stringent in their suggestion that Dak Prescott will get a new deal in Dallas, but until the contract is signed it will remain a constant trending topic among the Dallas Cowboys.
As tough as it may be to work out the finances around these big money deals, they will likely be a pill Jones must swallow if he is to make the most of his own “last contract.”
Jones wants another Super Bowl before he bows out and lets Stephen take this team completely over, meaning he must decide if Prescott and Cooper should be critical pieces to that title contending team.