The Dallas Cowboys report to Oxnard for training camp this week and yet Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb still haven't signed new contracts. Jerry Jones has been outspoken about wanting to keep Prescott and Lamb, but his insistence on waiting until the last-minute has backed him into a corner.
Had Jones been preemptive with Prescott and Lamb's extensions, he wouldn't have to worry about making them the highest-paid players at their respective positions. While Prescott and Lamb would have still come close to resetting the QB and WR markets, it would have been much easier to sign them.
Now, Jones is working on a deadline. Camp is days away and Prescott and Lamb would be well justified to skip practice until they sign a new deal.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Lamb's deal is being prioritized, but the Packers and Jordan Loe have basically forced the Cowboys' hand to get Prescott's deal done once and for all.
Cowboys must get Dak Prescott's contract done ASAP after Jordan Love news
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst revealed Monday that Love informed the team he won't practice until he has a new deal. Gutekunst added that he feels the two sides are "close" to reaching an agreement.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has been on top of the Love contract buzz all offseason. He noted shortly after Gutekunst's press conference that the Packers might be the "most aggressive" of the three teams (the Cowboys, Packers and Dolphins) that want to sign their QBs to lucrative deals in the coming weeks.
Pads don't come on until 4-5 days into camp after the ramp-up period, so it's fair to assume that Love will get paid this week. This news gives the Cowboys a small window of opportunity to extend Prescott before his price tag increases yet again.
It's difficult to project what Love's salary will be, but the Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence $55 million annually and $200 million guaranteed even though he has just one playoff win in three seasons. Love already has a playoff win after one season as the starter and his 32 touchdown passes last season are seven more than Lawrence has had in any of his three seasons.
With that in mind, Love could reasonably get $55 million per year or more. In that scenario, Prescott, who already has Dallas hanging over a barrel from a leverage standpoint, could command at least $60 million, if not more.
The Cowboys have sat idly by this summer as Lawrence and Jared Goff got $55 and $53 million per year, respectively. Last offseason, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts all signed for north of $50 million.
Jerry and Stephen Jones have nobody but themselves to blame for the position they're in with Prescott. More than enough leaves have fallen to give them a framework for Prescott's deal. If they allow Love to sign first, they'll risk this saga bleeding deep into training camp.
