It’s the million-dollar question that fans of the Dallas Cowboys have been asking for two years now. When will Dak Prescott get signed to a new contract?
With an Offensive Rookie of the Year under his belt, two NFC East titles, constant progression in his game, and 69 consecutive starts before his season-ending ankle injury in October, Prescott has proven his worth to the Cowboys organization, yet he’s still searching for his long-term security.
There’s one person who has been consistent in his praise of Prescott, and that’s Cowboys legend and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman. He spoke with the Dallas Morning News recently and made it clear that the Cowboys aren’t going to be contenders anytime soon without the right guy under center.
“They’re not going to get very far without a franchise quarterback,’’ Aikman said. “They’ve got that in Dak.’’
Prescott’s injury was a brutal one to watch, and once he went down so did the hopes for the Cowboys of having a successful 2020 campaign. They went 4-7 without Prescott. With a disappointing 6-10 record, the Cowboys missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The three-time Super Bowl champion believes that the way the 2020 season ended for the Cowboys made it more difficult for Prescott to be signed long-term.
“I think the price tag went up,’’ Aikman said. “I think Dak’s leverage went up after this year.’’
The Cowboys are currently seeking to sign Prescott for the foreseeable future before the March 9 deadline for applying the franchise tag. If no deal is reached by then, the Cowboys will apply a second tag of $37.7 million to keep Prescott from hitting free agency and give the organization until the July 15 deadline to sign him to a multi-year deal.
Aikman thinks a second tag could be the beginning of the end of Prescott’s time as a Cowboy.
“I’d be really surprised if he’s playing under the franchise tag again this year,’’ Aikman said. “My guess is if he is, that will be the last we see of Dak Prescott.
“I just can’t imagine that he’s going to feel really good giving an open negotiation to the Cowboys if he’s played two years under the franchise tag.’’
The bottom line is that this a deal that should’ve been done a long time ago. Prescott and the Cowboys continue to be adamant that they want to get something done. The former wants a shorter deal in order to hit free agency early and cash in again, while the latter is seeking a longer commitment.
This topic will dominate the headlines in Dallas until it gets resolved, and make Cowboys fans wait impatiently with anticipation in the meantime.
