The Dallas Cowboys have a history of delaying crucial roster decisions, whether it’s extending Dak Prescott’s contract or stalling CeeDee Lamb’s deal, among others. Such deliberation has often led to the Cowboys losing their leverage, resulting in them shelling out extra money. With zero Super Bowls in the past three decades, this frustrating trend hasn’t gone unnoticed. And Shannon Sharpe has had enough.
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In the latest episode of Nightcap, Sharpe delved into the Cowboys’ decision to enter the Draft for a QB after letting Trey Lance go. For Unc and co-host Chad Johnson, this was a baffling decision because the Cowboys invested two years in the former No. 3 overall pick before deciding to let him hit free agency. This questionable decision made Sharpe realize another issue with the Cowboys — waiting too long to make contract extensions.
Jerry Jones shocked the world last year by making Dak Prescott the highest-paid player in the league by awarding him a 4-year contract worth $240 million. In Sharpe’s eyes, this remains an overpay that the Cowboys should have avoided. But frustratingly enough, Jones & Co. had waited till Prescott’s contract came to an end.
By that time, the likes of Jared Goff had reset the QB salary bracket, resulting in Prescott getting a bigger payday. While Unc is happy for the player, the former TE couldn’t understand the delay from a business perspective.
“I don’t get the Cowboys because they wait until the last minute. When you first signed Dak, what you should have done — you cannot wait,” said Sharpe.
“You let Jared Goff and Carson Wentz get signed. They were the first two picks in the draft, and they got their signing bonuses. But Jerry let their teams sign them before he signed Dak, thinking he was going to get Dak at that price. No, Dak is not going to give you that price. Those guys got security early, so they were willing to give their teams a little discount. They got paid two years before they had to,” Unc added.
In Sharpe’s eyes, Jones could’ve easily saved millions of dollars had he extended Prescott a year or two before. “You made Dak play his contract almost all the way out, and now he’s costing you $60 million—damn near $90 million against the cap,” he said.
What irked Sharpe the most was the fact that the Cowboys didn’t learn much from the Prescott debacle. Like their QB situation, the Cowboys allowed Lamb’s contract to run down to the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. Then they made him the second-highest-paid non-quarterback with a 4-year, $136 million deal.
Sharpe believes the Cowboys are doing this again this year with star linebacker Micah Parsons.
“Now, you’re doing the same thing with CeeDee Lamb, waiting until the last hour. The same thing you’re doing with Micah Parsons, waiting until the last hour,” he stated. “And then you wonder why you don’t have wiggle room. Even with the cap going up somewhere between $20 and $25 million, you don’t have room to maneuver because you backed yourself into a corner.”
The Cowboys should learn from the reigning Super Bowl Champions, suggested Sharpe. GM Howie Roseman, known as the master of trades, is also adept at retaining his team with quick extensions. Unc added that this helps the Eagles gain continuity and pay players below the market rate, allowing them enough financial wiggle room.
“Look at the Eagles—what do they do? They sign their guys real early. People think they overpay at first, but then two years into the contract, their players are playing for $10-15 million less than market value,” said Sharpe.
“Jalen Hurts got $50 million, and the going rate is now about $60-65 million. But the Eagles still have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback on a $50 million contract and still have wiggle room,” he pointed out.
If the Cowboys truly aim to be a Super Bowl contender soon, they’ll need to make moves that do not make them scramble for cap space every offseason.
Jones owns the most valuable team despite winning no silverware in recent memory. One can only imagine how rich the octogenarian could become if the Cowboys start making rational decisions.
