The Dallas Cowboys front office has been the target of plenty of valid criticism because of their mishandlings of contract negotiations with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb is currently a training camp holdout, while Prescott is trying to take the high road.
However, the Cowboys front office continues to shoot itself in the foot and take Ls because of a "wait and see" approach that puts the value of the team's brand over the players themselves. Dak Prescott is the best example of this, and Friday showed how Jerry and Stephen Jones did nothing but play themselves.
Throughout the day, the Cowboys watched Prescott's pricetag raise not once, but twice.
First, it was Tua Tagovailoa who signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension with the Miami Dolphins. The deal made Tua the third-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL with a $53.1 million APY.
Then, the Green Bay Packers swooped in Friday evening to give Jordan Love a blockbuster four-year, $220 million contract. The deal, which makes Love the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history despite one season as a starter, includes a record $75 million signing bonus and $155 million in new guarantees.
There were previously reports that Prescott's new deal could make him the NFL's first $60 million man.
Now, it's all but a certainty.
Last season, Prescott had one of the best seasons of his career. He threw for 4,516 yards, an NFL-leading 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The effort earned Prescott second-team All-Pro honors and a nod to the third Pro Bowl of his career.
He has shown that he is among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and now it is only a matter of time until he is paid like one.
The Cowboys will have to ante up if they want to keep Prescott on the roster. If not, he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and will move on to someone who actually sees his worth.
And the Cowboys have no one to blame but themselves.
When that happens, it's time for a full rebuild for Dallas, and Jerry's squad is back to square one. Way to go.
