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A lot has happened to the Dallas Cowboys since September of 2019. Consider that they, no big deal here, played an entire season since then. The Cowboys went 8-8 last season, missed the playoffs, had some frustrating moments, and as a result of it all decided not to bring back Jason Garrett as their head coach. As a result they hired a new one, Mike McCarthy.
That is six months worth of activity condensed into a single paragraph but as you are aware there was a lot more that went into it. You know what hasn’t happened in that whole stretch of time for the Cowboys, though? Contract discussions with Dak Prescott, apparently.
The Cowboys have reportedly not met or negotiated with Dak Prescott’s agent since September
It is the week of the NFL Combine which means that the NFL’s most prominent movers and shakers are all in one area. This obviously includes the Dallas Cowboys and Stephen Jones, and on Monday the team’s EVP met with reporters.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have not met or negotiated with Dak Prescott’s agency... since September.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said the team has not met or negotiated with QB Dak Prescott’s agent Todd France since September before the season. No talks yet this offseason. May meet here at combine, but meeting not firmly scheduled yet.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 24, 2020
There was discussion when the Cowboys did not get a deal done with Prescott before the season began that they would potentially push things down to the offseason, but we’ve been in the offseason for some time now.
Consider that the Cowboys saw their season end on December 29th, 2019. They have had since then - almost two full months - and have not even met with Dak Prescott’s agent? How can that be possible?
When questions like this arise, people tend to try and answer them themselves. Some have wondered whether the Cowboys are in fact committed to Dak Prescott and Stephen Jones reinforced the idea that, contract negotiations aside, they absolutely are.
Despite impasse with Dak Prescott, VP Stephen Jones said there is “absolutely not” a time when team may move in different direction. “Dak’s our quarterback. He’s our quarterback for the future. We have nothing but the greatest respect for him. ...There’s no thoughts like that.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 24, 2020
The DMN also reported that Stephen Jones said a long-term extension with Dak or Amari Cooper will not happen until CBA rules for the 2020 league year are decided. This sounds like the explanation for all of this.
A new CBA could change the structure of an extension for any player. It makes sense for Prescott and/or Cooper’s people to want to see what their clients may be entitled to, just like it makes sense for the Cowboys to understand the environment they’re operating in.