Difference Between Mahomes & Dak 'Is A Super Bowl' - Stephen

The Difference Between Patrick Mahomes & Dak Prescott 'Is A Super Bowl,' Says Dallas Cowboys Exec Stephen Jones

FRISCO - The question, boiled down, is a good one and a simple one: If the Dallas Cowboys' front office loves Dak Prescott the way they insist they do, why isn't the quarterback signed to a contract extension?

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones' answer, boiled down, may be a simple one, too.

"We're trying to get into a situation where we're trying to keep Dak surrounded by good players,'' Jones said on Friday on the eve of Dallas' Week 1 NFL season-opener Sunday night at the Los Angeles Rams. "The only thing Dak is missing from Patrick Mahomes is winning that Super Bowl. That's what we want for him.''

Wait a minute. Back up.

While our colleague Bryan Broaddus' question (on "G-Bag Nation'' on 105.3 The Fan'' was actually must more "meandering'' than, "Why isn't he signed?'' ... and while Jones' answer was lengthy as well ...

"The only thing Dak is missing from Patrick Mahomes is winning that Super Bowl.''

Interpret Jones-Speak just right, and what Stephen is saying is that Dallas management thinks that Prescott is essentially on the same level with Patrick Mahomes, the MVP and Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The other two components of Jones' answer are also interesting.

When he says, "We're trying to get into a situation where we're trying to keep Dak surrounded by good players,'' Stephen is once again pitching the idea that Dallas has a salary-cap "pie'' that must be sliced properly in order for this roster's rich talent to be retained.

And when he says of Dak winning a Super Bowl, "That's what we want for him,'' it's almost as if he not only believes that can happen for the 2020 Cowboys, but that he's prepared to pay Prescott as "an MVP and a Super Bowl winner.''

Maybe that explains why, once Dak is done with this year's $41.09 million franchise-tag salary and negotiations begin anew next February, Dallas is ready to have new cap space in the form of an additional $27 million ... earmarked for Prescott.

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READ MORE: What New Deals For Deshaun (And Mahomes) Mean To Dak

Mahomes and Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson recently received new deals that essentially pay them in the range of $40 million annually.

CowboysSI.com has long reported that Dallas offered their star quarterback a five-year deal with an average of $35 million per year with $106 million in virtual guarantees. Agent Todd France held firm in his ask of a four-year contract to allow his client to re-enter the market more quickly after the NFL's next television deal kicks in.

"As you know,'' said Jones, who began the process of renegotiation two years ago, "we've never not gotten a player signed that we wanted to get signed. But this one's been a little more difficult. ... I really don't have any problem with the situation. I admire him because he never blinks.''

READ MORE: Cowboys' 'Real Leader' Dak Responds to Bayless About Depression

Jones added that he would've advised "my son two years ago'' to "run in there and take that big guarantee and sign up,'' but that Dak's strategy has worked because "I do think he's made money by playing it out. ... He bet on himself and he bet wisely. ... We all know he's going to make a whole lot more money in the future, and certainly we want it to be right here in Dallas."