Adam Schefter’s theory why Dak Prescott will have enormous amount of leverage in contract negotiations

There are plenty of Dallas Cowboys fans who are ready for the offseason to begin already. A 3-9 record through 12 games will have that sort of effect on a fanbase. Whenever the offseason finally does arrive, the Cowboys are going to have to make a number of very important decisions. They will have the highest draft pick that they’ve had in some time and it is clearly going to be important for them to shed the funk that was the 2020 season for them.

The biggest to-do for the team’s front office is taking care of their most important player, Dak Prescott. As has been well-discussed for almost two years now, the Cowboys and Prescott need to come to a long-term agreement sooner rather than later because, as evidenced by what we are about to talk about, the more time that is put between pen meeting paper will only invite more confusion.

Adam Schefter: Dak Prescott is going to have enormous amount of leverage in contract negotiations

One of the greatest assets to Prescott’s game when his representation last tried to work out a deal with the Cowboys was taken away this year. He has no longer never missed a game due to injury.

The reality of the business side of the NFL is that everything that we have seen over Dak’s career will likely be a consideration in contract negotiations. Obviously things besides that will play a factor as well, like how much another team might be willing to pay for Prescott’s services.

This is an idea that has been debated by many over the last few offseasons. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Thursday on Get Up that Prescott is going to have an enormous amount of leverage in negotiations this offseason in large part due to the number of other potential suitors.

“Well think about all of the teams that could use a player like Dak Prescott. Not only in terms of talent, but in terms of leadership and the cultural change that he would bring.”

“Washington. How much would Washington... to cripple its division rival and take its quarterback and trot out Dak Prescott? How about Chicago? How about Indianapolis? How about Tampa Bay as a successor to Tom Brady? How about New Orleans as a successor to Drew Brees? How about San Francisco? How about any one of these teams?”

“And so the fact that there are so many options tells you that Dak Prescott has got an enormous amount of leverage because he can do that. He can say ‘Okay, I’m not going to re-sign here after a year. So you might as well move on from me.’ There are a lot of different ways that he can play this out, that the Cowboys can play this out. By the way during a pandemic if the cap is going down, can they afford to franchise Dak Prescott to the tune of $37.8M, $38M, whatever it may be.”

“This right now shapes up to me as the most fascinating storyline of the NFL offseason this offseason. Every year there’s something that jumps out. Last year it was Tom Brady. Right now it looks like it could be Dak Prescott even though he hasn’t played in a while due to that injury.”

It is true that there will likely be a number of clubs looking for new signal-callers in 2021, and there are only so many top draft picks. Even with those few elite prospects, the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars will likely have priority in the draft. Not too long ago it appeared as if most teams either had an established quarterback or were in the middle of a process with one (San Francisco with Jimmy Garoppolo, Washington with Dwayne Haskins, etc.), but that has changed.

There is no question that Prescott will likely be the top storyline of the offseason once the Super Bowl buzz has faded.

Do you believe that the Cowboys will ultimately land a long-term deal with Dak Prescott? Or do you think the variables have gotten far too complicated for that to happen this offseason?