The Cowboys and Dak Prescott Are Making a Mistake by Not Putting Contract Extension in the Rearview

Dak Prescott's contract situation is still up in the air in Dallas. The latest reports indicate that despite negotiations during the bye week, the Cowboys and their star quarterback failed to reach an agreement. All signs now point towards Prescott being franchise tagged next year.

The real problem here, though, isn't that they cant come to an agreement, but that neither party decided to just table the discussions altogether.

The #Cowboys and QB Dak Prescott did not make progress on a long-term extension during the bye. Nothing doing. At this point, he’s headed toward the franchise tag. My story: https://t.co/9iG50OYu1s
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 10, 2019

A contract extension is the last thing they need to be worrying about right now. Though the Cowboys entered Week 10 atop the NFC East, they hold just a slim half-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Prescott needs to be focusing on playing his best football right now, not securing as much money as possible. His performance could be the difference between a deep playoff run and no playoffs at all.

#CowboysNation, it's GAMEDAY❕ PRIMETIME in @ATTStadium ?#MINvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/gvTFYKN0UY
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 10, 2019

Besides, the two parties haven't been particularly close at any point in time. It's not like a week off during the season was going to make a difference. Prescott thinks he's deserving of one of the richest contracts in NFL history, Jerry Jones thinks otherwise. It's as simple as that.

Dak Prescott said it's easy for him to block out the contract noise: "It's about the reasons I play the game, it's not for that. All of that is a benefit, it's a plus. It's gonna be great when it happens. It doesn't affect me week to week...All of that stuff is gonna happen."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 7, 2019

Why they continue to go back and forth on this is mystifying. They should just put the talks in the rear-view mirror and focus on this season and this season alone.