Troy Aikman can’t believe how badly Cowboys are mishandling Dak Prescott
By John Buhler
Troy Aikman is baffled at how badly the Dallas Cowboys are mishandling quarterback Dak Prescott.
Troy Aikman knows first-hand the value of being a franchise quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, so he is having a hard time understanding why “America’s Team” is essentially giving Dak Prescott the run-around once again.
Prescott was a former fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State University by the Cowboys in the 2016 NFL Draft. Through the first five seasons of his career, he has been the best starting quarterback of his draft class, edging out Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles and Jared Goff formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, among others. This should not be this hard, but here we are.
“They’re not going to get very far without a franchise quarterback,’’ said Aikman to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “They’ve got that in Dak. I think the price tag went up. I think Dak’s leverage went up after this year.’’
“I’d be really surprised if [Prescott] is playing under the franchise tag again this year. My guess is if he is, that will be the last we see of Dak Prescott [in Dallas]. I just can’t imagine that he’s going to feel really good giving an open negotiation to the Cowboys if he’s played two years under the franchise tag.”
The Dallas Cowboys’ playoff chances are nonexistent without Dak Prescott at quarterback
Aikman brought up an interesting point in his conversation with Moore for the Dallas Morning News. Prescott’s leverage did go up last year, despite suffering a season-ending ankle injury vs. the division rival New York Giants. Once Prescott was ruled out for the year, the Cowboys’ season was pretty much over with and done. Not even Andy Dalton or poor Ben DiNucci could save them.
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Dallas could have signed Prescott to a multi-year deal last offseason, but opted to franchise tag him. If they end up doing it again, the Cowboys would be giving him the Kirk Cousins treatment. That did not go over very well for Washington, as Cousins skipped town in 2018 NFL free agency to sign with the Minnesota Vikings. He made bank and landed in a better situation for him, too.
The Cowboys could be one of the worst teams in the NFC if they do not re-sign Prescott in 2021.