Benching of Carson Wentz doesn’t give Dallas Cowboys anxiety about Dak Prescott deal
When the Philadelphia Eagles signed quarterback Carson Wentz to a long-term extension in 2019, worth $128 million over four years, eyes immediately turned to the Dallas Cowboys and their quarterback Dak Prescott.
The two players have seemingly been tied at the hip since taking the league by storm as rookies in 2016 — albeit, Wentz was picked No. 2 overall and Prescott was picked in the fourth round.
Both started and starred.
Now that Wentz has been benched by the Eagles, eyes are again pointing to the Cowboys, who have yet to sign Prescott to a long-term deal.
Prescott, who played only five games due a fractured ankle, performed this season under the franchise tag for $31.4 million. If the Cowboys have to use the franchise tag on Prescott again in 2021, it will cost them $37.68 million.
Or they could sign him to a long-term contract.
Vice president Stephen Jones says Wentz’ situation does not give them any pause or anxiety on committing to signing Prescott, as money is not at the root of their issues in negotiations.
“We have been out front. Everyone is aware of the issues here and why this thing is not done,” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “It’s more length of term than it has been the actual amount of the contact. It shows you our confidence in Dak because we want him here for the long term. Our issues with Dak is we are wanting to be more committed in terms of the length of term. So we are not nervous to sign Dak.”
The sticking point with Prescott and the Cowboys is that he wants a four-year deal and the team wants him for at least five so they can have more cap flexibility.
The Eagles situation, however, is an example of what can happen if things don’t work out. Wentz is on the bench with rookie Jalen Hurts starting Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Wentz would cost around $60 million in dead salary cap if the team moved on from him after the season.
“Certainly, when you make a bad decision on a big contract it can affect you,” Jones said. “I can’t speak for the Eagles. I don’t know where they are with Carson Wentz and their long-term thoughts on Carson. When something is not working out and you have big numbers on a contract you are committed to it can affect your football team for a couple years. That is the business we are in.”
Jones says the risk of signing players long term is why they prefer to draft well and sign their own guys, though nothing is a sure thing with injuries.
For the record, Jones has said Prescott’s rehab is ahead of schedule and he should be ready to go in 2021, possibly as soon as OTAs in May.
But the Cowboys have no concerns about committing to Prescott even longer than he wants to sign for because he is made up of the right things, Jones said.
“He is an amazing man off the field,” Jones said. “He is a great leader in the locker room. He is a great player. That is why we have wanted to sign him longer and certainly when you sign a player long term you have more flexibility in how you work the salary cap with a player who is going to eat up a big percentage of your cap.”
Jones said there is no frustration with Prescott and his preference for a four-year deal. He wants to get back on the free-agent market sooner and take advantage of the expected growth of the league in the years to come.
“I am not disappointed. I understand where he is coming from. I have respect for it,” Jones said. “He is betting on himself. He has done a great job of that. He believes in himself. He might be willing to take less on the guarantees that come with a longer term contract because he just feels like, and historically it has been the case, the NFL has grown.
“The business has grown and the cap has grown. If that is the case, he is certainly a businessman and we respect that. At some point we just got to find the right middle ground that we both can be happy with.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 1:09 PM.
