There was some confusion regarding Jerry Jones’ use of the word “imminent” to characterize quick-churning negotiations between the team and quarterback Dak Prescott.
Allow Merriam-Webster the Cowboys owner to clarify the adjective.
“It means ready to take place. Close. Near. About to happen. Those types of things. …I think we are fast approaching an agreement …That might be my opinion. It might not be Dak’s opinion,” Jones said Tuesday during his weekly radio interview, via the Dallas Morning News.
It’s not the opinion of his son, Stephen Jones, either. The Cowboys’ vice president walked back Jerry’s remark on Monday, owing “imminent” to his father’s colorful vocabulary.
“(Jerry) has different meanings for different words. … (Hopefully) we’ll put this in the rearview mirror sooner than later,” Jones explained.
The Cowboys are caught between a rock and a hard place following Prescott’s historic Week 1 effort in which he threw for 405 yards, four touchdowns, and logged a perfect rating (158.3). After the game, an enthralled Jones confidently told reporters an agreement with the two-time Pro Bowl signal-caller was close — extremely close.
“Oh, yes, I do know that we’ll get it done,” he said. “It would probably be fair to say it’ll be done on an imminent basis. Imminent. … What’s imminent? Well, days. Days. Or something like that.��
The deal was supposed to be done by kickoff. Instead, Prescott took the field on his rookie-contract salary and dominated a hapless New York Giants defense, his price tag skyrocketing with each long TD toss. The more time passes, the more expensive he’ll be to lock down.
But the reality is, as Stephen Jones claimed, a few hurdles remain before the sides come to terms. These megadeals are mind-numbingly complex and, as former holdout Ezekiel Elliott proved, often held up by structure language rather than actual dollars and cents.
“It’s just a matter of finding things as you get closer that are really important to Dak. And obviously we’ll continue to verbalize what’s really important to keep as many of these players as we can on this young football team and he understands and appreciates that,” Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “At the same time, he’s got really good representation and they’re also wanting to make sure someone’s really looking out for Dak and they’re doing a great job of that. We’ll just continue to progress.”
Dallas returns to The Star on Wednesday to begin full-scale installation for their Week 2 road showdown with the Washington Redskins.
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Rich Eisen Calls for Dak’s Extension [WATCH]
Eisen, a nationally-syndicated sports personality, normally isn’t prone to hyperbole. But he couldn’t help but gush about the Cowboys’ 35-17 trouncing of the New York Giants in Sunday’s regular season lid-lifter, a resounding win highlighted by Prescott’s opening-game-franchise-record.
“He takes the field and he dominates. Dominates. Crushes it,” he emphatically stressed on the Rich Eisen Show on Monday. “He can do it with his legs. He can do it with his arms. He can do it with his head. He has absolutely taken his game to the next level.”
Eisen, who’s neither a Cowboys fan nor a biased observer, declared Dallas a “bonafide Super Bowl contender” while, in the next breath, urging the Joneses’ to appease their 26-year-old field general.
“If I’m a Cowboys fan, I am saying, ‘Jones family, just do it,’” he said. “What are you going to do, let him go to another team and try and start from scratch? Don’t franchise tag him. Just get it done so it doesn’t cost you more money.”
Cowboys ‘Imminent’ With Coop, As Well
Take the statement with a grain of salt if you must, but Jerry Jones revealed that negotiations with walk-year wide receiver Amari Cooper, considered far behind Prescott, are also progressing toward a lucrative contract.
“Well, yes, in that same sense. I know, we want to sign Cooper. Bottom line is imminent means near and certainly I know that the parameters are getting in better shape,” Jones said, via The Athletic.
Cooper looked as sharp as ever in Week 1 despite missing the entire preseason with a heel injury, catching six passes for 106 yards and a TD, regularly putting New York defensive backs on skates.
READ NEXT: Dez Bryant Fires Tweet at Kellen Moore After Cowboys’ Week 1 Explosion
Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL
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