Deshaun Watson Extension Puts Strain on Cowboys in Dak Prescott Talks

It feels esteem Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the final massive domino to descend in terms of the subsequent wave of NFL mega contracts for franchise passers. 

Patrick Mahomes made the entire massive headlines with his 10-year, $450 million contend with the Kansas City Chiefs.

And quietly over cutdown weekend, the stress on the Cowboys—as if it weren’t infamous ample whereas searching to cut to 53 with a 16-man educate squad and no preseason games to peek at—got amplified attributable to the Houston Texans. 

These Texans slipped a large extension point out sooner than the cutdown news cycle, revealing a four-year extension price $156 million for franchise passer Deshaun Watson, planting him at an moderate salary of $39 million—second simplest to Mahomes himself. He’ll be the highest-paid participant in outrageous salary on moderate for these four seasons. 

Exhaust into memoir that is a nonetheless little bit of extension work that went on for months between Watson’s reps and the Texans. It unfolded in “organized, cordial vogue,” basically based totally on Aaron Wilson and John McClain of the Houston Story. And now not simplest did the Texans give Watson the years he foremost, nonetheless it also unfolded on this kind amid the organization coping with loads of public scrutiny over moves comparable to purchasing and selling massive determine wideout DeAndre Hopkins. 

And that leaves Prescott twisting within the wind a tiny. It be no secret the illustrious standoff merchandise between the Cowboys and their franchise passer became the dimensions of the extension itself. In March, the Dallas Morning Files‘ Calvin Watkins reported the team offered $33 million per year. But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk later pointed out Prescott wants a four-year extension, now not 5. 

Rinse and repeat on the July deadline to lengthen tagged avid gamers, per Jane Slater of NFL Network: 

Prescott will play 2020 on the franchise designate, simplest checking in at $31.4 million, ninth in moderate salary amongst quarterbacks. That is on the wait on of Philadelphia Eagles passer Carson Wentz, who has successfully-known attendance considerations, as successfully as Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams. 

The Watson extension throws a ton of stress on the Cowboys to bend on the years entrance, by no plan solutions the money. And the truth Prescott may maybe presumably well maybe also vastly income on a second designate if the entrance station of job may maybe presumably well maybe not play ball doesn’t support things from the organization’s standpoint: 

Clearly, the Cowboys did not need different support from the likes of the Houston Texans; Prescott had loads of his hang leverage going into this season. 

Essentially feel free to tack on the Cowboys’ note file with quarterbacks. Prescott became a gem of a fourth-spherical procure—the entrance station of job truly settled for him in 2016 after a failed are attempting and circulate up within the principle spherical and draft Paxton Lynch. Oh, and so that they foremost Connor Cook dinner too, missed on him and as a change grabbed a defensive quit at No. 101 earlier than shrugging their shoulders and taking him at No. 135. 

Lynch, by the model, became cut by Pittsburgh the the same day of Watson’s extension, and Cook dinner became final viewed within the now-defunct XFL. 

So or now not it’s now not esteem the Cowboys can bank on unbelievable reports and choices to up and change their recent franchise passer. All Prescott has performed since becoming a member of the team is total 65.8 percent of his passes with 97 touchdowns against 36 interceptions, by no plan solutions the 40-24 file. He’s by no plan had a Pro Football Point of curiosity grade decrease than 72.2. 

For these defending rep, Prescott has played in 64 games to Watson’s 38. The Texans massive determine has accomplished 66.8 percent of his passes with 71 touchdowns and 29 interceptions with a 24-13 file, nonetheless or now not it’s somewhat determined which passer has been extra fixed for longer. 

Followers of evolved metrics may maybe presumably well maybe not query many angles to hit Prescott from, both:

To be determined, Prescott has taken on loads of threat by now not settling for what the Cowboys offered too. But he’s been workmanlike in by no plan lacking a sport, and his consistency is there. He’s nonetheless flanked by elite weapons esteem Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott, by no plan solutions the advent of 17th total steal CeeDee Lamb. 

And whereas it can presumably well maybe be easy to wave off Prescott as someone due for a statistical regression, falling searching his 65.1 completion percentage with 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns against honest 11 interceptions from a season within the past would now not be one thing else to scoff at. And on paper, a long-awaited educating overhaul sees quarterback guru Mike McCarthy on the controls of the offense. 

Again, any numerical regression gets with out inform counteracted by Dallas’ even lucking into Prescott within the principle station, by no plan solutions that it does not imply powerful if the team’s file improves from final year’s 8-8 quit. 

Call Watson’s mega deal the ending blow for Cowboys leverage. If the team even sniffs a postseason absorb 2020 (we’re talking a pair of company with three of these since 1997), Prescott’s got each justifiable reason to leapfrog Watson into the $40 million moderate vary whereas getting the years he wants on high of that. 

In hindsight, it can presumably well maybe be problematic the Cowboys did not earn one thing performed earlier than the Texans, especially as they currently sit on roughly $14.2 million in cap residence and future cap numbers may maybe presumably well maybe be diminished as league income takes a success with fans mainly absent from stands. That, and Prescott has watched the Cowboys hand out massive-money extensions to Cooper, Elliott, DeMarcus Lawrence and others in newest years. 

Barring a collapse of memoir proportions that Prescott hasn’t even hinted at so some distance, Watson’s deal honest confirms he’s been within the appropriate by manner of money on an extension, by no plan solutions extra than justified in seeking out out one thing shorter than 5 years. (Take into account, 5 years can flip into extra than one tags, carrying him successfully previous his age-30 season.) 

The Cowboys may want to eat the loss on the wager right here, which, to be blunt, is a loss most teams wish they would need to grab. Having a franchise quarterback to develop around and compete for Gigantic Bowls is not precisely a frequent element in on the present time’s NFL. 

All Watson’s deal has performed is achieve even extra stress on the Cowboys, even though it falls into the “excellent enviornment to hang” class if the entrance station of job can earn inventive in meeting Prescott’s requires and locking him down for the future.