Cowboys' Dak Deal: 'Dummy' Years And Did Jerry Win?

Win a bunch of games over the next four years and the naysayers on this contract will be drowned out. But for now? The Cowboys only won one thing in the Dak deal

FRISCO - Dak Prescott's side "won'' the negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys. But the Joneses salvaged a small victory out of it all ... with hopes of a larger victory.

The larger victory? That will come on the field, and if it does, nobody will much worry that the new deal, agreed to on Monday afternoon, will pay the QB a record $65 million signing bonus, $126 million in guarantees and $160 million ($40 million APY) over four years, with Dallas caving on Dak's with for a no-trade clause and a no-tag clause.

FULL STORY: Dak Deal Done!

Win a bunch of games over the next four years and the naysayers on this contract will be drowned out.

The smaller victory? A key element, a “compromise” ... except Prescott barely even really need to say “yes” to it because it’s simply an “accounting instrument.”

We suggested last week that Dallas tack onto the actual deal a couple of voidable years. And that's exactly what's happened here.

Voidable years are “dummy” years. Dallas does this commonly (and will soon be doing it again with restructures of guys like DeMarcus Lawrence and Amari Cooper and others to help make Dak fit) and they do not in any way “count against” Dak.

READ MORE: Dallas Cowboys Plan Dak Prescott-Related Cap Move With Tank - Source

What does “count”? The way Dallas can take the total value and for cap purposes, spread the impact over more years. The Cowboys will be doing this year, with an end result of Dak's 2021 cap figure being about $22.5 million, per a source.

That's right: A $40 million per year deal is going to count against the Cowboys cap at a rate of only $22.5 mil.

By using “dummy” years, the Cowboys supplement the long-desired achieved goal of cementing a Dak deal with a way to make it cap-affordable.

Dak Prescott's side registered win after win after win in this contract. But at least the Cowboys "won'' with the spread-out ... and now believe they can win, on the field, with their "Cowboy for Life'' QB.