With the Dallas Cowboys sitting at 4-5 and only with a small hope now of actually getting to the NFL playoffs if they can hang in and catch the New York Giants in the NFC East by the end of the season, and with the league’s trade deadline lingering upon us, it’s fair to examine one of the macro questions that comes up from time to time when it comes to star quarterback Dak Prescott: Is it time, perhaps, for the Cowboys to move on from him, given the direction of the franchise, the lack of success in the last three seasons (18-24-1) and the general lack of progress on the roster around Prescott in recent years?
It’s not that the Cowboys would, actually, go through with such a thing. Owner Jerry Jones has made it clear he is not interested in trading Prescott, and moreover, when he was asked on Tuesday if teams ever call for such a deal, the owner quickly said that no, they have not. But there is something useful in the thought experiment of a Prescott trade, even if he were to waive his no-trade clause–it gives the Cowboys a sense of where they stand, and how close they could be to a reset if they decided to go in that direction.
Dak Prescott’s Contract a Big Trade Obstacle
But it is never that simple, and Cowboys insider Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas made that assertion on Tuesday when the topic dealing away Dak Prescott was broached. It’s not just that the Cowboys would be without a quarterback, and it is not just that the team would have to persuade Prescott to accept a trade.
It’s that the Cowboys would not be able to function in the NFL with the way that the team has restructured and pushed Prescott’s massive $240 million contract around. Before considering the fact that the trading team would get a nine-figure hit for Prescott, there is also $87 million in dead money the Cowboys would have to swallow next year.
There is $31 million on the books for Prescott, and another $56 million would hit if he were traded.
Cowboys Would Face Huge Penalties
Said Belt: “I am just going to give you an idea of what it is like, financially, for the Cowboys to do this. Can they trade him? Yes, in the sense that if you make $100,000 a year and you saw something that costs $100,000, you would say, ‘I can buy that because I have $100,000. Technically, sort of, but not in any real life practical application can you do it. You can, but you can’t function as a football team if you do it.
“It’s not just trading Dak, it’s removing people from your roster to just save money.”
On what is so far a slow NFL trade deadline day for the Cowboys, food for thought.
Cowboys Dak Prescott Trade Scenario Gets $87 Million Warning