Getty Jerry Jones is pleased with Dak Prescott's contract extension.
The highlight of the Dallas Cowboys offseason was signing Dak Prescott to a long-term contract extension, but the team still has plenty of critics for how they handled the situation. The Athletic’s Ben Standing recently conducted a survey with NFL agents and Prescott’s contract was tied atop the list as the most surprising decision of the offseason. One agent was critical of the Cowboys noting Prescott will now be in a position to “hold them hostage four years from now.”
“Dak stands out because of the legwork that it took to get there and the fact that the Cowboys were willing to give him that without a franchise or transition tag and basically let him hold them hostage four years from now,” the agent noted. “From a team standpoint, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Agent on Dak’s New Deal: ‘They Are Showing the Faith & Trust They Have in Him’
Prescott signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension this offseason, keeping the quarterback in Dallas through the 2024 season. The Cowboys had been pushing for Prescott to sign a longer contract but ultimately compromised to allow a deal to get done.
Not everyone viewed the Prescott decision the same way as some agents praised the Cowboys for their ability to finally reach an agreement. Another agent cited the move as a way to show, “the faith and trust they have in him as a player.”
“His extension getting done was the most significant contract by far,” the agent told The Athletic. “There was so much criticism over the last couple of years. ‘Why isn’t Dak getting this done? Why aren’t the Cowboys getting this deal done?’ So, to see it come together — and the average per year was really impressive as well as the guarantees especially coming off the ankle injury. They are showing the faith and trust they have in him as a player. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.”
Stephen Jones on Regret: ‘Probably Would’ve Signed Dak the First Time Around’
Prescott’s negotiations stretched out over multiple offseasons, something the Cowboys admitted was less than ideal. During a July interview with NBC 5 DFW’s Pat Dooney, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones conceded the team should have re-signed Prescott sooner, citing the delay as one of his biggest regrets.
“Probably would’ve signed Dak the first time around, and it would have been better for everybody,” Jones explained.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones does not appear to have any buyer’s remorse from the contract, even if Prescott’s deal is a little larger than it would have been if an agreement had been reached sooner. Jones addressed the idea that the Cowboys overpaid for Prescott and did not exactly dismiss the idea.
“When I bought the Cowboys, apart from a lot of other things that were being said, it was very commonly said of how [much of] an idiot I was for paying what I paid for the Cowboys,” Jones told reporters in March. “And that’s not an exaggeration, that’s firmly there. Well, I really got screwed, I ended up with the Dallas Cowboys. The truth is most anything that I’ve ever been involved in that ended up being special I overpaid for every time, to the end. Anytime I’ve tried to get a bargain, I got just that, it was a bargain in a lot of ways and not up to standard.”