The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a disappointing playoff appearance. Dallas got upset by the Green Bay Packers after they had Super Bowl aspirations entering the postseason. However, not everything was negative about the 2023-24 NFL season for the Cowboys.
If Cowboys fans have one bright spot, it is the resurgence of QB Dak Prescott. He was in the mix to win NFL MVP before it inevitably went to Lamar Jackson. Now, the Cowboys need to take a hard look at how they could win in the long term after this disappointing playoff appearance. To me, that would involve trading Dak Prescott while his value is high. Read on to find out why this move could end up being a good long-term decision for the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys Facing Salary Cap Dilemma
The main argument to trade Prescott is that it will save the team money. Right now, the Cowboys are projected to have negative salary cap space heading into the 2024 NFL season. On top of this, Prescott is slated to make $29 million just in base salary.
After the 2024 NFL season, Dak Prescott is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Then, the true dilemma for the Cowboys begins. Unless something catastrophic happens in 2024, the Cowboys will likely have to pay about $60 million per year to keep Prescott for 2025 and beyond.
Peak Value
One can argue that Prescott is at his peak value. He will be 31 years old with one year remaining on his contract. On top of this, Prescott is arguably coming off of the best season of his NFL career.
In 2023, he had 36 touchdown passes, 4,516 passing yards, and just nine interceptions. These numbers were enough for Prescott to make his biggest NFL MVP push yet. As a result, it could create enough demand in the market for the Cowboys to get something back for Prescott.
Paying Dak Prescott vs. Maximizing Value
After reading the two sections above, one obvious decision needs to be made on the Cowboys’ part. Dallas either has to pay Prescott a max contract or they need to trade him while they can maximize assets for him. If Dallas does not want to pay Prescott, then keeping him one more season is essentially pointless because they risk getting nothing in return for a star quarterback in this league.
Mimic the San Francisco 49ers?
If the Cowboys, were to do this, they could try to mimic the 49ers. Dallas can do this by paying a quarterback very little money and maximizing the roster surrounding the quarterback. They are already part of the way there with stars at the secondary position, a star linebacker in Micah Parsons, a talented offensive line, and an elite wide receiver in CeeDee Lamb.
The only dilemma is trying to find a quarterback to replace Prescott. To do this, Dallas may have to sacrifice the 2024 NFL season for the greater good. Plus, it could take some luck in either the NFL Draft or free agency. However, if they find themselves a Brock Purdy or 2019 Jimmy Garoppolo to work with, the Cowboys would have much more wiggle room to stabilize the rest of their roster.
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2 Comments
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
WE are never going to win with him, ever! Don’t be stupid and pay him 50 or 60 million dollars!
The guys chokes in every big game!!!
They can’t just trade him — he has a no-trade clause. Dak holds ALL the cards. He would have to agree to any possible trade.