The Dallas Cowboys were not prepared to meet Dak Prescott’s contract demands during negotiations this past offseason. Now a key figure in the organization is admitting that Prescott handled his situation perfectly.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted that Prescott had been right to bet on himself.
“He’s bet on himself and bet wisely,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk. “He’s answered every bell, every call. I think anyone would tell you. I think Dak would tell you. I think his agent would tell you. We’ve put some very, very generous offers on the table. It’s more a principal-type situation on length of term. I think everyone’s got their hand around that’s the problem, and obviously we want a long-term deal because we can spread the money out over more years and give us more years under the salary cap so we can keep these young team, these young players that we have in and around Dak.
“At the same time, he wants a shorter-term deal because he sees how successful the league has been,” Jones added. “The sooner you come up for contract, the sooner you will come up for a bigger raise. That’s been the history of the NFL. So he’s not at fault either. Have nothing but respect for where he’s been and up to this point, I don’t think it’s hurt anybody. He’s obviously made a lot of money this year, and we all know he’s going to make a whole lot more money in the future, and certainly we want it to be right here in Dallas.”
Prescott turned down pretty hefty offers over the contract length. At the time, it was reported that the Cowboys were stunned by his contract stance. At least publicly, Jones is saying he gets it.
Both sides have suggested that they’re optimistic a long-term deal can get done after the season. It sounds like the Cowboys now know what to expect from those negotiations.
