If Dak Prescott believes in legacy, he should re-sign with Dallas Cowboys
By John Buhler
Dak Prescott can establish his legacy by sticking with the Dallas Cowboys.
If Dak Prescott wants to stay with the Dallas Cowboys for life, that’s not a bad thing at all.
Prescott’s contractual saga with “America’s Team” will finally end on Wednesday. The July 15 deadline applies to all teams, even the Cowboys. Either Prescott will sign the Cowboys’ final offer or he’ll have to play in the 2020 NFL franchise tag. If he wants to go the Kirk Cousins route and bet on himself he can do that or he can stay in Dallas and become a Texas football legend.
It should be stated that the best thing for Dak might be to take the latter route. He doesn’t owe anything to the Cowboys and shouldn’t play for less than what he thinks he’s worth. But for the sake of argument, let’s add another wrinkle into the fold: What about Dak’s legacy?
The best money might be elsewhere, but his best shot at iconic legacy could be in Dallas.
No matter what way it goes, Prescott will be making at least $31 million in 2020 to play football. That’s around the number he’d get if he opts to play on the tag. Dallas’ final offer puts him somewhere in the $33 to $35 million range. Would Prescott’s camp sign a five-year deal or will Jerry Jones be cool with something of the three to four-year variety? It’s all about length here.
Where else could Dak Prescott build a better legacy than in Dallas?
While Prescott can go the Cousins route, play on the tag and land in perceived greener pastures, he’d be hard pressed to build a great legacy than the one he could have in Dallas. Cousins left the then-Washington Redskins for the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 NFL free agency. Though he was paid handsomely, some view him as an overpaid disappointment who won a road playoff game.
Though Cousins can cement a strong legacy in the Twin Cities, he’ll never be Fran Tarkenton, not even if he wins the Vikings their first Super Bowl in franchise history. While Prescott will never become Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach in Cowboys uniform, he can surpass Danny White to achieve Don Meredith or Tony Romo status. Having that star on your helmet is your friend.
Keep in mind that it’s been nearly 25 years since the Cowboys last played in a Super Bowl. Prescott was a toddler living in Haughton, Louisiana the last time “America’s Team” even played in an NFC Championship game. All the while, Dallas remains the preeminent brand in the most popular sport in the country. We have a Cowboys rule on nationally televised games for a reason.
Is Prescott talented? Absolutely, but he’s closer to being the 12th-best quarterback in football than he is to cracking the top five. Though still in his football playing prime, he has every opportunity to carve out a tremendous legacy ahead of him, in Dallas of course. We don’t know the math, but don’t Cowboys’ Super Bowls give off the impression they’re worth more than one, right?
See, if Prescott were to leave Dallas after the 2020 NFL season, who knows if he’ll end up somewhere nearly as good? Cousins got out of Dodge with Washington to land with the best-run organization by a country mile in the NFC North in Minnesota. He has a competent owner in Zygi Wilf. Minnesota may not win a Super Bowl with Cousins, but the Vikings are always in the mix.
Next. Look for these 5 NFL defenses to be greatly improved in 2020. dark
Had Cousins not gone to the Vikings, he would have had to play for the New York Jets. While they have Sam Darnold these days, there’s a reason the Jets are one of the worst run teams in all of football. Where you land is everything. Dallas hasn’t won big in a while, but Prescott has more talent around him to artificially elevate his legacy than someone like Gang Green ever could.
Prescott’s safest bet to being remembered fondly is go the Romo route and be a Cowboy for life.