Cowboys Should Pay Dak Prescott While He's A Value

Emmitt Smith has an interesting take on Dak Prescott. Earlier this week the former Cowboys star claimed that Dak should take a team-friendly deal to stay with the Dallas Cowboys. The former running back is advising the young quarterback to take a Tom Brady approach when negotiating his latest contract by taking less money. Doing so would allow the team to spread out their spending and bring their core playmakers. Smith claims that Prescott will more than make up his money when it comes to endorsements.

To an extent, Emmitt Smith is right. The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise, valued at about $5 million dollars. They’re easily one of the most recognizable franchises in all of the sports and therefore the most marketable. Not only that they’re dead center in the second largest and populated state. Getting Prescott endorsing brands and in front of fans won’t take too much effort.

But that’s only if he’s playing. Players have more than just their careers to worry about. There’s life after football. He’s still young and has plenty of time to make his money but even if the money is guaranteed, the length of his career isn’t. There are players like Ryan Shazier and Alex Smith who had years of their career cut short due to injuries.

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Then, of course, there’s the Dallas Cowboys themselves. Who says after years of Jerry Jones masquerading as an NFL GM. Under Jones’ direction, the team has had mixed results. While most of the blame was pushed on former coach Jason Garrett, current head coach Mike McCarthy had limited success with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Aaron Rodgers. Who’s to say that McCarthy can turn Dak into an elite quarterback and future Super Bowl champ. If the Cowboys can’t get over the hump, Prescott runs the risk of being the journeyman quarterback getting 2 years back up quarterback deals.

Endorsements can pay the bills for NFL players, but their marketability is largely dependent on the team’s success. If Jerry Jones continues to hold the team back, if Mike McCarthy can’t get them over the hump, If Dallas continues to falter, then his endorsements aren’t as valuable either. With the cost of NFL contracts continuing to grow, players do have to look out for themselves as well. As one of the wealthiest teams in the league, no one will feel sympathy that the big market Dallas Cowboys have to pay their players. Until Cowboys fans stop cramming their team down everyone’s throat, you won’t be able to push the “team-friendly” agenda. Sorry, everyone knows their accolades, the value of their team, and the value of their stadium. I guess now we’ll see if they value their players too.