DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys did it again. They missed another opportunity to extend their franchise quarterback before another accomplished face of a franchise in another NFL city agreed to a contract extension.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have agreed to a 10-year contract extension that puts the former 2018 NFL MVP under contract through the 2031 season.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have Dak Prescott, their second-playoff winning quarterback since Troy Aikman retired in 2000, under contract for just 2020. Prescott has signed his franchise tag tender, but if the Cowboys don't lock up Prescott by July 15 at 3:00 p.m. CT, the two sides will be precluded from negotiating an extension until the end of the season.
The optics aren't good, especially given the fact Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones has gone on record saying Prescott will be extended.
On "Shan & RJ" on 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM] on Nov. 6, 2018, Jones said: "Listen, Dak is the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. He’s young, and he’s going to get extended.”
When? That offseason, two quarterbacks from Prescott's draft class, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, reached extensions with their respective teams. The two were 2016 first-round picks of the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, and each with varying success above or beneath what Prescott has achieved since Dallas took him in the fourth round of the same draft.
Nevertheless, the Rams and Eagles knew they had their men under center and met the concessions to keep them under contract for the future.
The franchise tag put Prescott in the "contract extension class" with Mahomes, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Chicago Bears signal caller Mitch Trubisky, as their clubs could begin extension talks in the 2020 offseason. However, like with Goff and Wentz, the Cowboys aren't making the first splash. And instead of a skinny youngster flying off the high dive at a public pool, Mahomes' extension is going to be Super Bowl XXX Nate Newton doing a cannonball.
On July 26, 2019, at the Cowboys training camp opening presser in Oxnard, chief operating officer Stephen Jones countered that teams extending their players don't really affect their timelines. Jones' answer related to the New Orleans Saints' recent extension of receiver Michael Thomas while the Cowboys' Pro Bowl wideout, Amari Cooper, was entering the last year of his deal.
"If you ask Amari and you ask his representatives, you have to ask them if that’s important to them," Jones said. "I think obviously some guys do want to see the full market play out before they make a decision, could that be one of the reasons that not necessarily a lot of urgency to get the deal done yet, it very well could be. For me, no. We could do the deal tomorrow and we feel comfortable doing something."
The Joneses love reminding fans and media that "deadlines make deals." If the Cowboys and Prescott don't reach an extension by July 15, then it will make things even more awkward when Prescott's peers reach extensions while he operates one year at a time.
Do you think Patrick Mahomes’ record deal will have a negative impact on the Cowboys and their ability to sign Dak Prescott? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
More from WFAA:
- NFL reportedly shortens preseason to two games to allow longer adjustment period for players
- Cowboys are running out of time to get QB Prescott signed long-term
- Opinion: It’s time for the Dallas Cowboys to go all-in and end the drought
- Dinner with Dak: Quarterback invites Dallas police officer, Cowboys superfan Jaime Castro to impromptu dinner discussion
- Cowboys Rumors: Free agent Clowney lists Dallas as preferred destination
