Robert Griffin III (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys have had one whirlwind of an offseason.
Entering training camp, the Cowboys entered with two major distractions in the CeeDee Lamb contract holdout and the topic of Dak Prescott potentially entering his final year in Dallas without a new deal. That's not even mentioning the key departure of former starting running back Tony Pollard and not finding a suitable replacement through the draft or free agency.
While the Cowboys have managed to sort a couple of those situations out just before the start of the season with the signing of Lamb to a four-year, $136 million contract extension and the signing of former Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, Dallas is the center of the NFL universe for all of the wrong reasons.
Considering the Cowboys' playoff struggles in recent years – including their upset loss to the Green Bay Packers at home last season – Dallas faces an uncertain future past this season. Both Prescott and their head coach, Mike McCarthy, could be on the way out after this season. It's the reason why former ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III says the way the Cowboys have handled the Prescott situation and their entire back-and-forth contract saga with Lamb is a major "mistake."
"It's a huge mistake for the Dallas Cowboys to draw out not only the CeeDee Lamb situation, but also the Dak Prescott situation when it comes to their contracts," said Griffin III in a one-on-one interview with RG while speaking on behalf of his new partnership with Snickers. "When you're trying to build a team, you have to take into account the emotional psyche of your players when you're trying to build a roster. They're doing a great job building the roster. And what I mean by that is they're saving money. In the meantime, they're trying to make sure that their funds are allocated to the right places, but when you're trying to build a team, you have to pay your quarterback."
Griffin III further explains why it's a "mistake" to drag out the contract drama with Prescott rather than sort it out early in the offseason.
"He's your leader," says Griffin. "If you're telling your quarterback we're going all-in, but you don't make any moves in the offseason to bring substantially better talent – like the Eagles did with Saquon Barkley, like the Chiefs did by drafting Xavier Worthy – if you're not making those kinds of moves, how you truly be all in? Not only do you not pay your quarterback, you let starting running back Tony Pollard go to the Titans. Instead of just working that stuff out five months ago. They do what they were going to do five months ago. If you weren't going to pay them straight, if you're not going to pay Dak, trade him."
The situation has continued to get messier between Prescott and the Cowboys – similar to how it did with Lamb and team owner Jerry Jones when the latter said there was no "urgency" to get a deal done – with Prescott recently saying that he doesn't listen to what Jones tells the media and that he doesn't need a deal.
The drama surrounding the Cowboys is never-ending, which makes Griffin ponder what exactly is Dallas' strategy. The former NFL quarterback also mentions the situation of Micah Parsons, who will also soon be seeking a new contract as he enters the fourth year of his rookie deal. The entire situation leads to the idea that the Cowboys could be looking to reload entering next season rather than go in with the same core. It wouldn't exactly be a surprising strategy given Prescott's lack of postseason success – he's 2-5 in the playoffs – and considering he could very well be due to earn $60 million per year.
We'll see if the Cowboys are able to get a deal done with Prescott, but it's clear that Jones and the franchise is playing hardball with their key players as the team enters a pivotal season. If Dallas gets off to a slow start, it could very well dictate how they handle their franchise quarterback's contract situation.
DJ Siddiqi
