Dallas Cowboys should sign Dak Prescott now and save money

The Dallas Cowboys should make this really simple. Call up Dak Prescott and his representation. Have them come to team headquarters. Show up with a pen and contract on hand. Finish the inevitable deal.

Prescott has one year left on his remaining deal. As a result he is set to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career following the 2019 season. Only 25 years old, the former third-round draft pick has proven himself a franchise quarterback. In today’s climate, that means a minimum of $25 million per year. Considering Prescott is arguably a top-12 player at the game’s most important position, he’s likely going to end up around $30 million annually.

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Using that figure, Prescott would immediately slot in as the fourth-highest paid quarterback (tied with Matt Ryan) in the game by annual average value. Considering Dallas has no other options, and Prescott is a young, ascending talent, there’s no reason for owner Jerry Jones to drag this out. In fact, simple math says Jones and the Dallas Cowboys should ben acing to get this deal done before the start of the season.

Why? Because the cap continues to rise. When negotiations take place, agents are looking at a litany of factors, including what percentage of the cap a given contract is going to take up for said team. With Prescott, he would be earning $30 million against what likely will be a $200 million cap in 2020. Math says that means Prescott will account for 15 percent of his deal.

Now, let’s say Dallas uses the franchise tag on Prescott for the 2020 season, and the cap increases to $210 million by the 2021 offseason. If the two sides work out a contract based on that 15 percent model, Prescott now makes $31.5 million. Of course, Prescott is in his prime, and a terrific year could have him eyeing 17 or 18 percent of the cap.

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Additionally, the Cowboys should be aware of the NFL landscape. In the next two years, it’s safe to assume that Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson are going to be signing second contracts. Those players are all going to be cashing in, with Mahomes having a legitimate chance of being the first player to sign for more than $40 million per year. Signing Prescott now effectively keeps costs down while giving Dallas the flexibility to take care of receiver Amari Cooper and potentially running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The Dallas Cowboys are going to sign Prescott at some point. There’s no reason not to make it right now.