ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 10: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys throws a pass during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Dak Prescott may not have a contract extension, but he’s locked in and ready to go.
Dallas Cowboys fans feeling profound Joan Didion-esque dread about Dak Prescott’s future in the Metroplex were surely only modestly buoyed by news that the quarterback would sign his franchise tender Monday. After all, it simply meant that he was under contract for 2020, kicking the free agency can down the road to next offseason if the two sides can’t agree to a multi-year deal by the NFL’s July 15 deadline.
Fortunately, all those in north Texas who spent all afternoon breathing into a paper bag need to log on to the ol’ Instagram and pay Dak a visit. In his latest post, he doesn’t exactly look like someone who is only ambiguously committed to the Cowboys.
After signing his franchise tender with Dallas, Dak Prescott posted an Instagram photo depicting himself in an impeccable cowboy hat
This is actually freaking adorable. It’s uncut, raw Dallas, but without the cringe levels of Dirk Notwitzki piggybacking on Mark Cuban in Sports Illustrated. Everybody wins!
Prescott still very much needs a contract extension, and those negotiations (whenever they actually resume) are sure to be a source of anxiety across Cowboys Nation. However, disgruntlement can strike at any time, even for guys who are very much still under contract — Jamal Adams, come on down! — and such a development would be especially catastrophic were it to strike a franchise quarterback.
And that’s not at risk of happening now. Look at that photo again. This man doesn’t have one foot out the door. He’s committed to the cause.
If you got to toss bombs to Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup behind that offensive line, you would be too.
No matter what happens the rest of the way, the 2020 season is an utterly critical one for the future of the Cowboys. Lowballing Prescott stands to push him out the door, but overpaying him in comparison to the rest of the NFL quarterback landscape ruins the team’s ability to improve its top-to-bottom quality in the quest for NFC supremacy.
At the very least, Dak is going about his business in good faith. In such fraught times as these, that peace of mind is worth its weight in gold.