Can Cowboys Simply Cut or Trade Dak Prescott? New Salary Cap Change?

No judgment about the player here, just the actual dollars and the actual results of "cutting or trading Dak'' that establish that Prescott is not literally "untrade-able'' ... he's virtually "untrade-able.''

FRISCO - Simple question: "Can the Dallas Cowboys just trade or cut quarterback Dak Prescott?''

Simple answer: "Yes.''

Complicated answer: As a practical matter ... a resounding "no.''

Forget for a moment the Cowboys’ disappointing playoff loss at the 49ers and the NFL-worst interception total. Forget Jerry Jones' pledge of loyalty to his QB, the owner telling us after the game, “Give me that setup, with Dak Prescott, I feel very strongly that we will win,” “My (commitment to Dak) is just as strong as ever. … I take (my chances with him) again and again and again.” Forget whether you "like'' or "dislike'' Prescott as a quarterback.

Know this: When people argue against the notion that "Dak is untrade'able,'' they are coming to their errant conclusion because they are skipping the real steps that would be required to trade (or cut) Prescott.

The "trade'' concept going around now is, "Trade Dak because he'd only cost his new team $30 million per year!''

The"cut'' concept going around now is, "The new salary cap is $224.8 million, so Dallas can afford to cut him!''

The truth: It is technically possible to trade anybody, to cut anybody, to sign anybody. The issue in doing do is about the financial penalties and the full costs involved.

In simple round numbers, cutting Dak Prescott would cost the Dallas Cowboys $50 million in dead money in 2023 - meaning they'd be "paying to the cap'' 22 percent of their room ... to a player not on the roster.

Again, as a practical matter: That's not "non-doable'' - but it's "virtually non-doable.''

The same mathematical truth exists in the "trade Dak'' possibilities. Some have suggested a Dak trade to Green Bay for Aaron Rodgers. (Again, put aside whether you "like or dislike'' the players.) And when it's suggested, that "Oh, the only expense is to the Packers for Dak's $30 million salary ...

Those "analysts'' are missing the complicated steps that make such a trade just this side of "impossible.''

Round numbers again, just from the Dallas side (for the sake of semi-simplicity): The Cowboys would have to ...

1 - Eat the aforementioned $50 million on Dak

2 - "Pay the cap'' on Rodgers to the tune of $60 million in 2023 and another $50 million in 2024. (Sidebar: Rodgers' unusual contract structure would reportedly mean a low cap impact for his new team. That's the good news. But the salary is locked in.)

So ... for the 2023 season, the Cowboys "quarterback cost'' - goodbye to Dak and hello to Rodgers - would total $110 million.

One last time: These aren't judgments about the players. These are the actual (in round numbers) dollars and the actual results of "cutting or trading Dak'' that establish that Prescott is not literally "untrade-able'' ...

But rather, virtually "untrade-able.''

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