Cowboys’ QB stability just might be real deal
The way the NFL was headed, it was bound to happen at some point, and this week it finally did. A team signed a quarterback to a contract extension, and that extension was imaginary.
The years added to the end of the deal are voidable and will be voided. The money added to the terms of the contract is nonguaranteed and never will be paid. The New Orleans Saints’ agreement with Taysom Hill was called a four-year $140 million extension, but the truth is it makes no difference if the reported number was $1.9 trillion or 99 cents. It was a bookkeeping trick, designed to pay Hill exactly what he already was owed, while creating a bit of extra room under the salary cap.
In the NFL, you see, the salary cap is mostly imaginary, too.
There are myriad ways for teams to circumvent it, and if this seems confusing, well, so is almost everything else about an NFL offseason.
This is the league in which Deshaun Watson, one of the game’s elite quarterbacks, might never take another snap for the franchise he’s currently signed with through 2025. It’s the league in which, in an attempt to put itself over the hump and finally win a playoff game, the Washington Football Team signed a quarterback known for something called “Fitzmagic,” despite the fact that in 16 seasons Ryan Fitzpatrick never has made the postseason and has compiled a record of 59-86-1.
The magic, of course, is fake. In many cases, so is the perception of stability.
But what if, in Dallas of all places, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys finally have stumbled into something real?
It’s dangerous to believe in the long-term plan anywhere in the NFL, and perhaps crazy to do so in an organization that hasn’t made a conference title game in more than a quarter century. And to be sure, the
Cowboys feel great about having locked down Dak Prescott this month, but so did the Texans about securing Watson last September. That feeling of security lasted a few months.
Still, as dysfunctional as this process appeared during the years in which the Jones-prescott negotiations were a ceaseless source of speculation and angst, it sure seems like both sides played it correctly. And now, looking around the league, how many quarterback situations would the Cowboys trade for their own? When factoring both production and potential, would there even be a halfdozen?
Quarterback play isn’t everything, but it’s the most important thing. If Jones didn’t recognize that before last October, when Prescott went down with a gruesome ankle injury along the AT&T Stadium sideline, he sure came to realize it in the weeks that followed. Somehow, the horrible moment that had people worried Prescott had cost himself millions of dollars wound up convincing the Cowboys more than ever that he was worth a record-breaking $160million extension.
And Jones didn’t fret too
much about the cost.
“When I bought the Cowboys, apart from a lot of other things that were being said, it was very commonly said of how idiotic I was for paying what I paid for the Cowboys,” Jones said during a press conference last week. “And that’s not an exaggeration. That’s firmly there. Well, I really got screwed. I ended up with the Dallas Cowboys.
“The truth is most anything that I’ve ever been involved in that ended up being special, I overpaid for, every time, to the end.”
Unlike the Saints’ for-show deal with Hill, the money in Prescott’s new contract is real, with $126 million guaranteed and an astounding $75 million due this year. And although there’s a possibility one side might fall out of favor with the other before the end of the contract — if it can happen with Russell Wilson in Seattle, it can happen anywhere — one has to figure Jones and Prescott will be together for a while.
For one thing, unlike in Houston, the boss isn’t going anywhere. For another, Prescott knew exactly what he was getting into before he put pen to paper.
Jones’ choice of coaches can be second-guessed and probably should be. He hasn’t inspired much confidence in his ability
to work the free-agent market. But Prescott was aware of this and chose to re-up anyway.
At 27, the same age Drew Brees was when he signed with a terrible Saints team in 2006, Prescott made his commitment. Chances are, this won’t lead to a Super Bowl. Chances are, this arrangement won’t last 15 more years, the way Brees’ did.
But in an age when numbers are fudged and so much about the league is imaginary?
“Dak Prescott, cornerstone of a franchise” might not be verified yet.
But it at least has a chance to be.
ACROSS
1 Honey
5 Stoneworker
10 In the thick of
14 Prevail upon
15 Georgia university
16 Elude
17 Modem-speed unit
18 Very tasty
20 Iffy attempts
22 Library sect.
23 Height, to a cager
24 Homer epic
26 Genre
27 Shoulder gestures
29 Dig up
33 Stiff
34 Fast food acronym
35 Agrippina’s son
36 Bear —
37 Steak cut
40 Cylindrical
receptacle
41 Without delay
43 Woolen cap
44 Seven-veil dancer
46 Sea cow
48 Groups of witches
49 “Get — of that
junk!”
50 Common cleanser
51 Rock tumbler stone
54 Not just my
55 Defame
59 Golden years
62 Safekeeping
63 Unfasten
64 Hard-hit drive 65 Kimono sashes
66 Cellphone button
67 News item
68 Ivan’s refusal
DOWN 1
Adds sound effects
2 Livy’s “it was”
3 Water, in Tijuana
4 Cardinal
5 Glove sz.
6 Microscopic animals (var.)
7 Not liquid or gas
8 Layered cookie
9 U.N. headquarters
10 From Juneau
11 Riotous crowds
12 Small land mass
13 Bug repellent
19 Legend
21 Swings around
25 Touched off
26 Front tooth
27 March composer
28 Navajo lodge
29 “The X-files” concern
30 Spy mission
31 Mine cars
32 Whetstone
33 Kapow!
34 Eur. airline
38 Charlotte of “Bananas”
39 Pertaining to the sea 42 Danced all night
45 Dictionary
47 Layer
48 Street intersection
50 Good, in Spanish
Barking noises “Pretty Woman” lead
53 Pharaoh’s god 54 Fail to include 51 52 56 Newborn
57 Buffalo’s lake
58 In case
60 Loop trains
61 Attempt
Today’s Birthday (March 17). Gentle, sensitive and imaginative, you will benefit by interacting with people from different backgrounds and varying viewpoints. If single, the right person might be someone you already know. If attached, be honest with your partner and your commitment will deepen. LEO eases your insecurities.
Aries (March 21-April 19) 2 ★★★★★ You may be presented with a problem that takes patience to fix. Don’t get overwhelmed. Be practical and thrifty. Tonight: Bubble bath.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
★★★ After a hard day at work, reward yourself with retail therapy. Buy a new outfit that emphasizes your attributes and makes you look attractive and sexy. Tonight: Count your pennies.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
★★★★ Take advantage of no deadlines or obligations. Put off an invitation and enjoy your alone time. Put on your artistic hat. Paint, draw, play an instrument, write a song. Tonight: Show off your talent.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
★★★ Ask a friend to act as a sounding board as you work out a dilemma. You may discover who has your back and who does not. Tonight: Online gathering for likeminded people.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
★★★★★ Your confidence is at a high point. Think about taking on a leadership role. Hone your speaking skills and clarify your point of view. Tonight: Try a new recipe.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
★★★★ Revisit a subject you once attempted. Set aside time to pick up where you left off. Choose between in-person and online classes. Tonight: Dream big.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
★★★★ Discuss a promising venture with a friend. This may or may not be a pipe dream, but it is always good to get feedback. Start small by selling items online or to a group with whom you meet. Tonight: Puzzle solving.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov.
21) ★★★★ Hearing from someone special will make your day. You may have to make the first move, but they will be glad you did. Plan a vacation with your significant other or close friends. Tonight: Look forward to attending a zoom meeting.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) ★★★★★ An appointment may be changed unexpectedly beyond your control. Use your free time to your advantage. Take a walk, go the gym or meet a friend. This may turn out to be a great day after all. Tonight: Listen to music.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
★★★ Take a yoga or dance class at a studio or online. Go with a friend to a karaoke bar or watch a romantic film. You might shed a tear even with a happy ending. Tonight: Think about your first love.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
★★★★ Plan a trip to see out-of-town relatives. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce the next generations to each other. Questions about your genealogical roots may be answered, but mostly you will revitalize old relationships. Tonight: Home-cooked family dinner.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
★★★★ Reevaluate goals that you set for yourself. Practical matters that need your attention may delay but not obliterate them. New friends will enter your life, so welcome them into your circle. Tonight: You feel energized and excited for the future.
Stars indicate the type of day you’ll have: five stars, dynamic; one, difficult.