Maybe it's because we're all bored, but when Peyton Manning was "disrespected" with the franchise tag there was not the level of furor like our Dak Prescott sees now.
Since the NFL Players Association was dumb enough to agree to the now dreaded "Franchise Tag" back in the early 1990s, when it was loosely called "The John Elway Rule," all union brothers have had to deal with this ever since.
Before cursing the very existence of Jerry Jones, and/or insinuating that Prescott is being disrespected because this is an issue of race, remember that there was once a day when Manning -- who had already won a Super Bowl -- was even slapped with the franchise tag. The same for Michael Vick, and a few other franchise QBs, too.
If those guys can deal with it, why exactly is this tag an affront to Prescott?
This is only an issue because we have so little to discuss these days, and because there is some thought the Cowboys are sheepishly crawling in any direction other than committing to Prescott.
People, you are allowed to be dumb but please don't be stupid.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Jones likes to say he has the final say on the Dallas Cowboys, and not even the coronavirus is going to stop Jerry Jones from burying Dak Prescott in what will be the largest contract in NFL history.
When Jerry falls in love, he falls like a teenage girl with her first kiss. Jerry is the Nicholas Sparks of NFL owners. There is no goodbye, there is only hope and forever.
You'll notice the people he falls in love with the most are the ones he has known since the beginning. Troy Aikman. Michael Irvin. Emmitt Smith. Darren Woodson. Tony Romo. Jason Witten. Ezekiel Elliott.
They all got paid.
The only reason Emmitt did not retire as a Dallas Cowboy was because of the arrival of Bill Parcells as coach. Jerry knew when he hired guys like Deion Sanders and Terrell Owens they were mercenaries, so cutting ties with their services was easier.
Jerry is not going to fall for a Hessian.
Dak is not some free agent mercenary. Dak is a Dallas Cowboy, and he's going to get his. The addition of Andy Dalton changes only one thing: That Dak now has a proven backup.
The problem isn't the money, or the years. The problem is the deadline.
The deadline does not exist. Jerry says deadlines make deals. Until we know, and more importantly, believe, the dates that are set for the return of football, the deadline is effectively written in Piggy Pink, Unmellow Yellow, or any other Crayola crayon color you want to pull out of the box.
History shows once Jerry gets involved, the deal gets done. Stephen Jones may be the tough negotiator, but Jerry is the closer.
Now, in this case "closing" can look similar to rolling over to have your belly rubbed, but the deal is done and the player is happy.
Don't bet against Jerry, even if sometimes it's not always the wisest decision.
The question is why the outrage when players more accomplished than Dak had to deal with a mechanism the NFL Players Association agreed to allow.
In February of 2011, the Indianapolis Colts put the exclusive franchise tag on Peyton Manning. Owner Jim Irsay had publicly committed to making Manning the highest-paid player in the NFL, and there was no outrage.
At the same time, the Philadelphia Eagles put the franchise tag on Michael Vick, too.
By that point, the only player better than Peyton Manning was Tom Brady. No player meant more to his franchise than Manning.
In July of that year, he signed a five-year, $90 million contract, and he was not made the NFL's highest-paid player. The following month, Vick signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Eagles that included $40 million guaranteed.
In consecutive years, Kirk Cousins played under the franchise tag for the Washington Redskins. In March of 2018, he signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings that paid him a guaranteed $84 million.
The QB up next always gets the most, and this time it's Dak's turn to cash in.
The Cowboys just chose to use the franchise tag because they could.
So if Peyton Manning had to deal with it, Dak Prescott should not take offense.
Sports on 05/14/2020