Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott, or Amari Cooper?

Dallas Cowboys 2x Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott is set to become a free agent heading into the off-season and it has people frequently asking, Will the Cowboys re-sign him? The Cowboys and Prescott have recently begun discussing a new deal for the first time since September. The Cowboys are expected to have 88$ million in cap space heading into free agency.

Prescott reportedly turned down the Cowboys offer of a deal that would earn him 33$ million annually in September. That contract would have made Prescott one of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks, however, Prescott is reportedly looking for a deal worth 35$ million a year. Prescott led the Cowboys to a record of 8-8 just missing a playoff spot. Prescott threw for 4,902 yards along with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a completion percentage of 65.1%. 

Dak has to understand and maybe take another perspective

said Cowboys legend Emmit Smith during a conversation on The Adam Lefkoe Show.

The perspective may not be all the money you get, but how much of the money you’re willing to leave on the table because the Cowboys are a marketable organization. If you’re the face of the franchise, instead of taking $35 million, would you take $28 Millon, and leave some for Amari Cooper and pick up the lost money through endorsements?

Emmit Smith is no stranger to having contract disputes with the Cowboys as he once held out all of training camp and the first two games of the 1993 regular season. The Cowboys would go on to start season 0-2 and with the season already in jeopardy, the Cowboys agreed to give Smith a 4-year contract worth 13.6$ million making him the highest-paid running back at the time. The contract was well worth it as the Cowboys would go on to win Super Bowl XXVIII.

Star wide receiver Amari Cooper is also set to become a free agent. Cooper is coming off his best season as a 5th year player with 1,189 receiving yards along with 8 touchdowns both are personal best. With those numbers, Cooper without a doubt will be looking for a big-time contract perhaps a contract that would make him one of the league’s top-paid at his position. There have been no reports of Cooper and the Cowboys discussing a new contract, but Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has said he would love to have Cooper back on the team.

Not all people agree with Smith’s comments about Prescott taking a pay cut for the team.

It’s a slap in the face for people to say he should take less

said Cowboys legend Darren Woodson, a former teammate of Emmit Smith.

My office oversees the practice field, and there ain’t nobody on that team that works harder than Dak Prescott. He is putting the work in the man deserves it

 

At the end of the day, the Cowboys will have roughly 88$ million in cap space to spend in free agency. With other players set to be free agents such as wide receiver Randall Cobb, defensive end Robert Quinn, and linebacker Sean Lee who is a key piece of the Cowboys defense. The Cowboys now have to decide who will get the big contract their star quarterback who led them to a record of 0-7 against teams with a winning record in the 2019 season or their star wide receiver who has a reputation of dropping passes.