🏈 Now The Cowboys Have Options

Why did Dallas sign Andy Dalton? It might be about leverage. But more importantly, the QB gives the Cowboys backup plans for every scenario. [View in browser]( In today’s FOX Sports Insider: The Cowboys' decision to sign Andy Dalton is all about having options in Dallas ... Vanessa Bryant shares Kobe’s final gift to her on her birthday ... and George Kittle and John Harbaugh stop by the latest edition of FOX Football NOW. The chatter is plentiful surrounding the Dallas Cowboys right now — nothing new there. Agreement, though? That’s in drastically short supply. Not only is there still no accord between the Cowboys organization and Dak Prescott on what is hoped will morph into a new, long-term contract, but no one can quite figure out the meaning and undertone of owner Jerry Jones’ latest move. [STORY IMAGE 1] In fact, as this most unusual of offseasons rumbles forward, no one can even concur on whether Jones’ procurement of Andy Dalton as No. 2 quarterback carries any level of hidden message at all — and the disparity of opinion is striking. To some, landing a veteran signal caller who could potentially step in and fill the void in a proven, stable manner is the Cowboys’ way of saying that they won’t be held ransom by Prescott, and have shown it by recruiting a viable alternative in the event of a holdout. The other line of thinking is that the signing is nothing of the sort, that Dalton is being acquired to assist Prescott and serve as a quality backup at a cost made all the more favorable because the former Cincinnati Bengals QB hails from Texas and was keen to be back there. “Signing Andy Dalton doesn’t send any sort of message to Dak Prescott,” wrote David Moore in the Dallas Morning News. “The Cowboys aren’t insulting their starting quarterback or drawing a line in the negotiating sand. Dalton is the backup, pure and simple. There’s no need to wait for a public proclamation from Jones or head coach Mike McCarthy. The contract makes it clear.” Dalton’s deal is worth around $3 million, plus incentives that could take it as high as $7 million. On the surface, that’s hardly the kind of investment expected for someone the team thinks will play a lot of meaningful snaps, and it’s only about a fifth of what is being offered to Prescott. [STORY IMAGE 2] Prescott is officially out of contract at present; the Cowboys have used the franchise tag on him, but he has not yet signed the one-year, $31 million tender. There is until July 15 to agree to an extension, and if one is not forthcoming by that date, there are two choices: Prescott must either play under the franchise tag or sit out the season altogether, like Le’Veon Bell did with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018. Jones is desperate for the Cowboys to thrive and savvy enough to know that, having come to deals with Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper, the way he handles this period could determine the likelihood of the franchise’s success over the next few years. Prescott threw for 4,900 yards and 30 touchdowns last season but could not lift Dallas to better than 8-8, even in the dreadful NFC East, the league’s worst division by a distance. Could it be, then, that Jones is turning the screw, just a little bit? “I now feel far more hopeful that Dak Prescott will sign with Jerry Jones sooner than later and not play under the franchise tag,” [FOX Sports’ Skip Bayless said on Undisputed](. “The reason for that … is Andy Dalton. This will motivate Dak to make a deal. To compromise a little bit. This deal will end up far closer to Jerry’s final offer than to what Dak has been holding out for. “Dak is going to see the handwriting on the locker room wall, that Jerry now has a viable alternative. Jerry will not flinch to go forward with Andy Dalton. I am hopeful Dak will see the light, swallow a little pride.” [STORY IMAGE 3] And that seems like the plainest truth in Dallas. The Cowboys love Dak. They want him to be the QB that leads them back to the promised land. He just hasn’t been that guy yet — and having Dalton around gives the Cowboys options. Leverage, particularly these days, is a very valuable thing. Prescott has gotten some of the things he wants from Jones, like the drafting of Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the first round of this year’s draft. But he hasn’t yet gotten the kind of money he desires, remuneration that would likely put him at the top of the National Football League’s quarterback earning pile. The QB market is red hot, with prices continuing to escalate and a new market to eventually be set when Patrick Mahomes signs a new contract in Kansas City. Prescott, having made a little more than $2 million per year to date, is determine to cash in. “The Cowboys are extremely out of line,” Cowboys legend and Prescott’s friend, Dez Bryant, tweeted. “Pay Dak.” [STORY IMAGE 4]( Eventually, Prescott will get paid. For now, though, his route to the kind of money and status he is seeking just got a little thornier. Maybe Jones was simply trying to get a good guy at a great price in Dalton, but the ensuing reaction means he’d have to be blind not to see how it might benefit his most critical negotiation. These are strange times, as the NFL continues to prepare for a season that no one quite knows what it will look, sound and play out like. There is uncertainty everywhere — not least in Dallas, where for now, the hunger and hype continues to outstrip the on-field product. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Peter King, NBC Sports: “I think that is a brilliant signing by the Cowboys, getting Andy Dalton for one year between $3 million and $7 million. You might think I’m overstating ‘brilliant,’ but Dalton is a solid football guy, a football-loving, shut-up-and-play guy who will be good either playing or backing up and supporting Dak Prescott. He won’t be great. But tell me which backups in the NFL are great? And tell me which backups in the NFL quarterbacked their teams to the playoffs five times? Smart signing, particularly when the Prescott fate is so uncertain. If Prescott boycotts the offseason program in his contract stalemate and Dalton is there every day, who knows? Would Mike McCarthy dare start Dalton when the real games start? I doubt it, but it’s a storyline to follow.” Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: “Dalton’s arrival gives the Cowboys a QB1 during Dak’s decision not to participate in the virtual offseason program. Dalton also protects the Cowboys against what could be an even more aggressive move by Prescott. For franchise-tagged players, one deadline matters most: July 15. After that, the player cannot be signed to a multi-year deal. So at that point, there would be no reason for Prescott to stay away, right? Even though the Cowboys and Prescott couldn’t do a long-term deal after July 15, the two sides would be able to negotiate different terms on a one-year deal. He could ask for more than his $31.4 million franchise tender. Or he could seek a commitment that the Cowboys won’t tag him again in 2021. Regardless, Prescott can stay away until just before the start of the regular season and earn the full amount of his franchise tender, like Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell did in 2017. If Prescott does, the Cowboys will need someone to run the offense during training camp and the preseason (if there is one). Dalton becomes that guy, giving the Cowboys protection in the event Prescott does indeed stay away until days before the regular season commences.” Todd Archer, ESPN: “Here’s what the addition of Andy Dalton is not: a sign of unhappiness with negotiations with Dak Prescott and a way to leverage a long-term deal. The addition of the former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is about making the roster better. This is how the Cowboys used to treat the backup spot when Tony Romo was the starting quarterback. Without Drew Brees last year, the New Orleans Saints won with Teddy Bridgewater. Matt Moore went 1-1 as Patrick Mahomes’ injury replacement in Kansas City. The Cowboys would be extremely happy if Dalton never saw the field for any meaningful snaps in 2020. But just in case, they prepared themselves for the possibility.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - The XFL left us far, far too soon. But for the players, coaches and innovators at the heart of the league, the dream the XFL represented lives on, [Bleacher Report’s Adam Kramer writes.]( - For 20 years, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were like brothers — but not these days. [At ESPN, Nick Friedell outlines]( Barkley’s take on their falling out and whether he and MJ might reconcile. - We need your help! 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