How the NBA is affecting the NFL QB market, what it means for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys

The Cowboys are not in the market for a new quarterback.

Yet.

Dak Prescott is QB1 around here and if the Cowboys can secure a long-term deal at any point in 2021, the future at that position is settled.

But if there’s ever a time to explore what the quarterback market is for the Cowboys and other teams it’s now.

If the Cowboys don’t believe in Prescott long-term, and it’s taken them two years of talks without reaching a lucrative contract, maybe this is the time to find out what the quarterback market looks like.

Life without Dak Prescott?

Say it ain’t so.

In the last two years, quarterbacks have executed NBA-like movement.

Last year, Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Joe Flacco switched teams. A pair of former No. 1 overall picks, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston, found new homes. Veteran starters, Philip Rivers, Andy Dalton and Marcus Mariota moved to different teams.

And 2021 has gotten off with a bang.

Jared Goff, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick, was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions for 2009 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford.

Carson Wentz, the 2016 No. 2 overall pick, was sent from Philadelphia to Indianapolis.

Deshaun Watson is unhappy with ownership and wants a new place of employment. Russell Wilson, while not saying he wants a trade, his agent gave a list of teams to ESPN he would be interested in playing for.

Drew Brees is close to retirement. Ben Roethlisberger, though he’ll return in 2021 according to the Pittsburgh Steelers front office, is on the last stretch of his career.

And let’s not forget the NFL Draft where at least five quarterbacks could go in the first round, beginning with Trevor Lawrence to Jacksonville with the No. 1 overall pick. The New York Jets, picking second, could make a change at quarterback as well despite having Sam Darnold, the third overall pick in 2018.

So if you thought LeBron James, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard asserted power in the NBA with player movement, welcome to the NFL’s version with quarterbacks.

“The NBA has a tradition of superstars planning their next stops through their own volition,” said agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Kansas City quarterback Pat Mahomes. “You see players not simply take themselves to new franchises but try to attract people. At the same time, it’s like they’re packaging. The NFL has never had that.”

Wilson and Watson wanted to be heard by management and were rebuffed. Brady had his own concerns with the Patriots’ handling of the personnel before departing after the 2019 season.

“That’s always been the case,” Steinberg said. “You go back to Troy (Aikman), he always talked to Jerry Jones about roster enhancement. It always goes on. It’s not a confrontational process where the player is trying to continue his point of view and management is not listening. They are listening, he may have good suggestions.”

Quarterbacks normally have the power in the NFL especially with their high salaries. The number of teams devoting cap space to the quarterback increases every year.

In 2018 no team invested $30 or more million in cap space at the quarterback position. At least eight teams will do so in 2021 with three teams spending over $40 million in cap space to the position. That could change once the Steelers restructure the contract of Roethlisberger, to lower his salary cap number.

Of course this doesn’t include what the Cowboys have to pay Prescott, who if franchised, will get $37.6 million for the 2021 season.

The Cowboys say they value Prescott but haven’t finalized a deal to give him the security and power he seeks. The free agent market could be viewed as weak at quarterback, though former starters Andy Dalton and Newton are on market.

Washington could move on from Alex Smith, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Carolina and maybe even Atlanta might draft a quarterback.

When an agent was asked what he thought of the quarterback market he said, “tough year to need a quarterback.”

When asked why, the agent, who represents several quarterbacks asked, “But is there much starting talent out there?”

Another agent said the success of Brady, who won a Super Bowl in his first year with Tampa Bay, and Mahomes has increased the value of the position.

“It’s changed the QB market for owners, who now must recognize that without an elite QB they can never realize a Super Bowl appearance,” the agent said. “That’s how I see it. Watson, Prescott (if healthy) (Justin) Herbert (the future) are the next level guys.”

So what about Prescott?

Do you still work things out with him, knowing if you can’t finalize a long-term deal the chances of losing him increases. And if you can’t accomplish the goal of a new contract, is trading Prescott a viable option?

Dallas would not only have to place the franchise tag on Prescott, but he has to sign it so a trade can occur. Prescott’s agent would then enter into negotiations for a long-term contract with the new team. No team is going to trade for Prescott without locking him up long-term. What’s the point of trading him if there’s no future?

It would develop similarly to when Chicago acquired defensive end Khalil Mack from the then-Oakland Raiders in 2017.

Another scenario, a major gamble, is to let Prescott hit the open market on March 17.

The Cowboys will discover what Prescott’s value is from other teams. It’s a risk because some team, with salary cap space or an aging quarterback, will sign him long-term. At best, the Cowboys would get a compensatory pick for losing Prescott in free agency.

Does that make you happy?

When an agent was asked how Prescott would affect the quarterback market he said, “you got Dak and everybody else. It depends on what your budget is saying and what you’re looking for.”

Discussions about Prescott’s future subsides if he signs a long-term contract. So while we wait on that, so does Watson and Wilson and Matt Ryan and Newton and Dalton and Smith.

Futures hanging in the balance with every passing day.The Cowboys are not in the market for a new quarterback.

Yet.

Dak Prescott is QB1 around here, and if the Cowboys can secure a long-term deal at any point in 2021, the future at that position is settled.

But if there’s ever a time to explore what the quarterback market is for the Cowboys and other teams it’s now.

If the Cowboys don’t believe in Prescott long term, and it’s taken them two years of talks without reaching a lucrative contract, maybe this is the time to find out what the quarterback market looks like.

Life without Dak Prescott?

Say it ain’t so.

In the last two years, quarterbacks have executed NBA-like movement.

Last year, Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Joe Flacco switched teams. A pair of former No. 1 overall picks, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston, found new homes. Veteran starters Philip Rivers, Andy Dalton and Marcus Mariota moved to different teams.

And 2021 has started with a bang.

Jared Goff, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick, was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions for 2009 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford.

Carson Wentz, the 2016 No. 2 overall pick, was sent from Philadelphia to Indianapolis.

Deshaun Watson is unhappy with ownership and wants a new place of employment. Russell Wilson hasn’t said he wants a trade, but his agent gave ESPN a list of teams he would be interested in playing for.

Drew Brees is close to retirement. Ben Roethlisberger, though he’ll return in 2021, according to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office, is on the last stretch of his career.

And let’s not forget the NFL draft, where at least five quarterbacks could go in the first round, beginning with Trevor Lawrence to Jacksonville with the No. 1 overall pick. The New York Jets, picking second, could make a change at quarterback as well despite having Sam Darnold, the third overall pick in 2018.

So if you thought LeBron James, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard asserted power in the NBA with player movement, welcome to the NFL’s version with quarterbacks.

“The NBA has a tradition of superstars planning their next stops through their own volition,” said agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “You see players not simply take themselves to new franchises but try to attract people. At the same time, it’s like they’re packaging. The NFL has never had that.”

Wilson and Watson wanted to be heard by management and were rebuffed. Brady had his own concerns with the Patriots’ handling of the personnel before departing after the 2019 season.

“That’s always been the case,” Steinberg said. “You go back to Troy [Aikman], he always talked to Jerry Jones about roster enhancement. It always goes on. It’s not a confrontational process where the player is trying to continue his point of view and management is not listening. They are listening — he may have good suggestions.”

Quarterbacks normally have the power in the NFL, especially with their high salaries. The number of teams devoting large cap space to the quarterback increases every year.

In 2018 no team invested $30 million or more in cap space at the quarterback position. At least eight teams will do so in 2021, with three teams spending over $40 million in cap space to the position. That could change once the Steelers restructure the contract of Roethlisberger to lower his salary cap number.

Of course, this doesn’t include what the Cowboys have to pay Prescott, who, if franchised, will get $37.6 million for the 2021 season.

Washington could move on from Alex Smith; San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Carolina and maybe even Atlanta might draft a quarterback.

When an agent was asked what he thought of the quarterback market, he said, “Tough year to need a quarterback.”

When asked why, the agent, who represents several quarterbacks, responded, “But is there much starting talent out there?”

Another agent said the success of Brady, who won a Super Bowl in his first year with Tampa Bay, and Mahomes has increased the value of the position.

So what about Prescott?

Do you still work things out with him, knowing if you can’t finalize a long-term deal the chances of losing him increase? And if you can’t accomplish the goal of a new contract, is trading Prescott a viable option?

Dallas would not only have to place the franchise tag on Prescott, but he has to sign for a trade can occur. Prescott’s agent would then enter into negotiations for a long-term contract with the new team. No team is going to trade for Prescott without locking him up long term. What’s the point of acquiring him if there’s no future?

It would develop similarly to when Chicago acquired defensive end Khalil Mack from the Raiders in 2017.

Another scenario, a major gamble, is to let Prescott hit the open market on March 17.

The Cowboys will discover what Prescott’s value is from other teams. It’s a risk because some team, with salary cap space or an aging quarterback, will sign him long term. At best, the Cowboys would get a compensatory pick.

Would that make you happy?

When an agent was asked how Prescott would affect the quarterback market, he said, “You got Dak and everybody else. It depends on what your budget is saying and what you’re looking for.”

Discussions about Prescott’s future subside if he signs a long-term contract. So while we wait on that, so do Watson and Wilson, and Matt Ryan and Newton, and Dalton and Smith.

Futures hang in the balance with every passing day.

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