Jerry Jones might have been playing 4D chess delaying Dak Prescott extension

We are almost to the Fourth of July, the birthdate of this supposedly great nation, and America's team still hasn't signed Dak Prescott to an extension. After finishing runner-up in MVP voting last season, Prescott appeared destined for a lucrative, market-setting deal from the Dallas Cowboys.

Instead of following the common trends of today's league, however, Jerry Jones has decided to pivot. What exactly has Jones pivoted to? It's unclear. The Cowboys are playing hardball with their most important player, essentially hedging their bets and hoping that Prescott's asking price comes down.

It would take an act of God, however, for the asking price to come down. As proven by Trevor Lawrence's gobsmacking new $275 million contract, every remotely good quarterback is getting paid. I mean, it would take something completely absurd to bottom out the salary cap and return leverage to Dallas.

Well... don't look now, but Jerry Jones might get lucky. Sorta.

New salary cap squeeze could help Dallas Cowboys shortchange Dak Prescott

The NFL was recently hit with a rather significant lawsuit regarding their Sunday Ticket TV package, which is potentially in violation of antitrust laws. Here's the rundown from Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Co.

"On Thursday, the NFL was ordered by a jury to pay north of $4 billion in damages to commercial and residential parties for what is being considered antitrust violations involving the league’s NFL Sunday Ticket package. Due to the fact that this was a federal antitrust lawsuit, damages can be tripled, meaning that the final number could be above $12 billion."

If the league is ordered to pay $12 billion in legal damages, well, the salary cap is going to implode. The league's total earnings in 2023 were $19 billion. The NFL plans to appeal the jury's decision, but if higher courts sustain the penalty, the league is in for a challenging few years.

Contracts won't scale down to the salary cap's percentage if the league's vault is liquidated. Mosqueda uses Jordan Love's inevitable extension with Green Bay as an example. If he signs for $60 million annually and the salary cap gets chopped in half, the Packers are pretty much screwed. Love still makes $60 million annually and their flexibility is naught.

The Cowboys could be in a similar bind, unless Jones waits out the storm and doesn't give in to Prescott's demands. Two possible fallouts are outlined by Acme Packing Co. in the event of severe legal action — either the league gets rid of the salary cap entirely, as Jerry Jones once pitched, or the salary cap is drastically reduced and a "cap squeeze" occurs.

Ironically, Jones' long-held desire to absolish the salary cap would probably hurt his case with Prescott. That would only drive up the market price for elite players, and Prescott could conceivably demand the largest QB contract in NFL history — and get it. If not from Dallas, then from somebody else. If the cap ceiling is lowered, however, Prescott can no longer ask for a historic figure on his next deal. The Cowboys may not save cap space, but they would save bottom-line dollar value.

Ultimately, Jones and the Cowboys probably want the league to avoid a crippling financial crisis enforced by the court of law. But, hey, we know Jerry Jones likes to maximize his investments. If there's a way to pay Prescott below market value, he will exploit it.