Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is one of the more polarizing figures in all of sports. He is brash and outspoken, and critics have accused him of thinking he knows more about the game of football than he actually does.
He and his team are facing a difficult situation right now.
Arguably their three biggest stars — quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and pass rusher Micah Parsons — are due to lucrative contract extensions, and it has prevented them from making any significant additions this offseason.
The Prescott situation is the most troubling. While he is a very good quarterback (some even consider him elite), there has been speculation that for one reason or another, he may not receive the extension that he wants, which would result in him becoming a free agent next spring.
Craig Carton of “The Carton Show” took a shot at Jones by saying the owner “is not writing that big check” for Prescott.
— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) June 3, 2024
Last season, Prescott led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes while throwing for 4,516 yards and completing 69.5 percent of his pass attempts. He got the third Pro Bowl nod of his career and led Dallas to a 12-5 record and a first-place finish in the NFC East.
But the elephant in the room when it comes to Prescott is his continued poor performances in the playoffs.
This year, he threw two early interceptions in the wild-card round against the upstart Green Bay Packers, which set the tone and allowed the Packers to build a gut-punching 27-0 second-quarter lead.
There are some who have said Dallas should let Prescott go and find a QB who will actually perform well at playoff time.
If the Cowboys definitely want to keep Prescott, it would be better for them to get him signed now rather than later.
Over the last two years, the market for both quarterbacks and wide receivers has been rapidly going up, and it could get even higher next spring when Prescott could be a free agent.
With Lamb looking to get a huge extension of his own, the math will be difficult for the Cowboys, especially if they let Prescott enter the open market in 2025.
If Jerry Jones is serious about claiming his first Vince Lombardi Trophy since the 1995 season, he should do whatever he can to extend Prescott this offseason — unless, of course, he doesn’t really believe Prescott is the man to lead his team to the promised land.
