Did the Cowboys sign Dalton as leverage?
NFL Podcast: Dalton to back up Dak, Trubisky's option declined and should Cam sit out 2020?
Video Transcript
CHARLES ROBINSON: If you come out of this and you're the Cowboys, let's say you go through the season. And you sit there and you go, hmm, we got enough of a look at Andy Dalton to feel like he's a comparable player. Let's just say comparable-- not better, not great. You know, I wouldn't even say Dak, at this point, we can say he's an elite level guy yet.
Now we're going into the offseason after the 2020 season, and the price-tag differential is going to be $40 million a year for Dak Prescott--
TEREZ PAYLOR: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: --or 25-- let's just say-- and I think that's a-- I think that's a pretty-- maybe even a high number, but let's just say 25, $25 million a year for Andy Dalton. Would you rather have Dak Prescott back at $40 million a year, or would you rather have, I don't know, Andy Dalton at 25 and say you can convince a guy like Jadeveon Clowney to come here for 15, that level of a talent to come play for the Cowboys for $15 million per?
TEREZ PAYLOR: I personally would rather have Prescott even at that high number because the ceiling for the player matters at quarterback.
CHARLES ROBINSON: OK.
TEREZ PAYLOR: It's not going to get a whole lot better for Andy Dalton, but what we do know is that Dak Prescott is only 26, 27 years old.
But I want to kind of flip this back to you. Is this creating leverage of any sort in the negotiation with Dak Prescott? Even if they won't say it is, is there any chance there's a speck of that in here?
CHARLES ROBINSON: I do think it does create leverage. And whether they want to admit it or not, it gives them the possibility to go hey, you know what? Things are not-- there is some bad blood in this negotiation. And I'm going to tell you right now, there is some bad blood. Like with Todd France, Dak Prescott's agent, and the Cowboys, there's legit some bad blood, and it's all about this number of years. Like they want-- they want him in at five. Todd France wants him in at four--
TEREZ PAYLOR: Right.
CHARLES ROBINSON: --and it's--
TEREZ PAYLOR: He wants another slice of the apple at 31.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
TEREZ PAYLOR: It makes all the sense in the world.
CHARLES ROBINSON: It's just brutal. But now they have a guy--
TEREZ PAYLOR: Well--
CHARLES ROBINSON: --that they can sell if it doesn't work out, right?