True or False? Cowboys & Dak Will Sign Long-term Deal

True or false? The Cowboys and Dak Prescott will agree to a long-term deal. Our staff ponders the big question

DALLAS - Dak Prescott is the top free agent quarterback in 2021. Before the the 27-year-old suffered a season-ending ankle injury, Prescott was on pace for a career high season in passing yards and QBR (78.4) in 2020.

Last offseason, the sticking point between Prescott and the Cowboys was the length of an extension. As reported here on CowboysSI.com, Prescott wanted a four-year deal and the Cowboys desired a five-year deal. The deal did not get done, culminating in a $31.4 million franchise tag for Prescott's 2020 season.

[READ: Cowboys Position-By-Position Breakdown - And New Expectations]

It'll be all eyes on Dallas and Prescott again, as the Cowboys maintain that securing the 2016 Rookie of the Year as their quarterback is top priority... Which leads us to our round table question: True or False? The Cowboys and Dak Prescott will agree to a long-term deal.

True - Mike Fisher

I understand all the reasons for skepticism. This unfortunate dance has gone on now for over two years. There is a value in “peace” just as much as there is a value in the player himself.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently came on 1053 The Fan and said essentially Dak “has all the leverage” in negotiations. That sounds - and maybe I’m being optimistic - like a gigantic white (and silver and blue) flag being waived.

A flag of surrender. 

At $40 million APY and however many years the hub of the Cowboys wheel (that’s Dak) wants it… It shall be done. Oh, the idea of trading for Deshaun Watson is fun. (If Dak can't agree to a Dallas deal but Houston would be willing to pay him? And if Houston can't soothe Deshaun? And if the Cowboys realize that Deshaun might be the only guy who'd be as accepted in the Dallas locker room as Dak is ...?)

But ...a Dak deal in Dallas. I say it shall be done.

True - Richie Whitt

Because absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder.

The Cowboys experienced life without Dak and instead with Andy Dalton, Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci.

Dak suffered through a season without football, realizing any play could be his last.

It was a two-way reckoning, solved by $37(ish) million and one signature.

True - Matt Galatzan

The Cowboys don’t really have any option here. Outside of a franchising Prescott and trading him away for someone like Deshaun Watson (which is incredibly unrealistic), Dallas’ only option is to come to terms on an extension. Prescott is a top-10 quarterback, and those are very hard to come by in professional football. Without one, winning at a high level is nearly impossible. 

If they don’t find a way to come to an agreement with Prescott and his representation, it has the potential to set the franchise back for years to come. In other words, there is no choice here for the Cowboys. Give Prescott what he wants, and move forward. 

True - Tomer Barazani

Dak Prescott should and will receive his long-term deal. For years, Prescott shined while being underpaid and now deserves to reap the reward. The two-time Pro Bowler Prescott has been, by most measures, an elite quarterback in today’s NFL. Cowboys nation saw how valuable his absence was this season when Dallas failed to make the playoffs (6-10). It's time for Jerry Jones to give Dak what he deserves.

 True - Bri Amaranthus

I want to say false just to play devil's advocate but I cannot. Another franchise tag does not bid well for either side... For the Cowboys, the franchise tag would be more expensive in 2021 than the first year of a new multi-year contract. On Prescott's side, a long-term deal finally solidifies Dallas' commitment to him, which makes it easier to persevere and progress as a leader on and off the field. 

The uncertainty of 2020 only increased both sides' readiness for this deal to get done.

False - Matthew Postins

I don't think the Cowboys will get a long-term deal done with Prescott this year. Yes, Jerry Jones has fully acknowledged that Prescott has 'all the leverage' in negotiations. But that doesn't mean the Cowboys aren't going to try and create some (though I'm not sure how they would do that without ticking off Prescott and his agent). Perhaps more pointedly, the Cowboys will take one more season of cost-certainty with the franchise tag over a longer-term deal as they try to address the myriad of needs on defense. It may not be the right thing to do, but I think that's where they end up.

CONTINUE READING: Deshaun Replacing Cowboys QB Dak? What Are The Odds?