When the Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for possibly fourth-string 49ers quarterback Trey Lance and picked up the balance of his guaranteed salary, it seemed as if the Cowboys were thinking about future potential alternatives to a quarterback with a contract that balloons to a $59.455 million cap number in 2024.
The Cowboys have tried to shout down such narratives, which serve only to heighten my own suspicion that Lance’s arrival represents leverage of some sort against Dak driving too hard of a bargain, now or in the future.
On Thursday, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones addressed the situation, downplaying the move as an effort to improve the position — and declaring that Dak will be going nowhere.
“We look at personnel around here as upgrading the room,” Jones said in an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And at each position, we’re always trying to make our roster better. We just felt like that Trey gave us something that improved that room, in terms of if something were to happen to Dak. We all know he’s missed 15 games over the last three years. So, you know, if something were to happen and you needed to make a run without Dak, then you wanna have given yourself every opportunity to go in there and have success without Dak.”
Yes, it’s smart to have a quality backup. They already have one in Cooper Rush. Lance likely won’t leapfrog Rush this year. And if Lance becomes the backup in 2024, he’s under contract for only one season.
Still, the Joneses are all in with the narrative that this has nothing to do with Dak’s future and his contract, even if it does.
“Dak’s the unquestioned leader here on this football team,” Stephen Jones added. “He’s got rare skills in that area in terms of being able to lead the team. You know, we look at Dak as a guy who’s gonna be around here for many, many years to come. And I just really felt like Trey Lance, you know, upgraded the room and gives us a chance if something were to happen to Dak to stay in the mix like other teams have done in the past. I know Philly did it one year with Nick Foles. And sometimes you don’t get your Number One guy all the way through the year and it’s always nice to improve that room.”
Fine. Good. Awesome. But until Dak agrees to an extension, the Cowboys have a cap mess looming in 2024. And if Dak squeezes the Joneses the way the Joneses would squeeze anyone else if holding such leverage, the Joneses need to have a Plan B — and not simply in the event of injury.
