Dak to the Future

With Dak Prescott’s announcement agreeing to a four-year, $160 million deal to stay with the Dallas Cowboys, one NFC East team has its offensive foundation locked in for the next…. year.

Actually, never mind, as all NFC East teams can say that.

The only difference is the Cowboys now have three massive offensive contracts, which will certainly not last. Who is going to be the odd man out; Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, or both?

Only time will tell, but Prescott’s new contract confirms a breakout is inevitable.

The Cowboys are “primed” for a Super Bowl run for the 18^th offseason in a row.

While I agree if you have a top-tier quarterback, you should pay them, this deal is going to hurt the Cowboys.

Remember when Dak “went off,” throwing for over 450 yards in three straight games and amassing 1,856 yards and nine passing touchdowns in five games before his gruesome season-ending injury? They must have been dominant to start the season. Or they went 2-3 with both wins being against bad teams, and everyone knows Atlanta choked the game away rather than Dallas winning. Stats are cool, but wins are cooler—also, you kind of need a defense to win games.

Before Cowboys fans get all upset, yes, I am aware of the Eagles 2020 season. Beating Ben DiNucci by 14 points followed by getting blown out by Andy Dalton is not anything to brag about, but the season was already in a downward spiral at that point. I will also acknowledge Prescott’s winning record against not only the Eagles but the entire NFC East. It’s too bad those wins don’t translate into playoff wins or more than two divisional titles. Since being drafted in 2016 and his “dominance” over the NFC East, the Eagles have made the playoffs three times to Dallas’ two and have a record of 4-2 to Dallas’ 1-2 record while also winning two division titles during that span. On top of throwing a 4-11-1 season into the mix.

Not only does the track record not show playoff success, but there is also now an additional top-heavy contract on the offensive side of the ball. Considering the defense was a huge liability even when Prescott was scoring at will, Cooper and/or Elliott certainly will not play out their remaining contract in Dallas. I think moving on from Cooper would be a mistake for the Cowboys, but his contract is easier to navigate out of. The Zeke contract was heavily criticized as paying running backstop dollar seems risky, and it does not help he has not been the same player he was three years ago.

Unless some serious restructuring goes on, there is a chance both of these guys are gone within two years, which can be a good and bad thing for the Eagles. Cooper consistently makes plays against the Eagles but just as consistently drops the easy balls. Zeke has hurdled one too many Eagles for my liking, but I am liking seeing his play regress from what it was.

Do I think Prescott is a good quarterback? Absolutely.

Do I think paying him all this guaranteed money is going to change Dallas’ playoff fortune? Absolutely not.

You obviously hope for the best when a player is coming off a serious injury but can’t help the thoughts in the back of your head, wondering if the player will be the same. This was a huge gamble Jerry Jones made on Prescott. For the sake of player safety, I hope the bet pays off.

From the standpoint of winning games, I hope Jerry is a big loser.

Only time will tell, but it will always be “Dallas Sucks! Go Birds!”

Featured Image: Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports