Yahoo Lifestyle Cowboys VP says team 'can't afford' huge deals for Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott
If Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott are hoping to be Dallas Cowboys long-term, they may have to consider asking for less in contract negotiations. Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones admitted Wednesday it would be difficult to sign all three to market-setting deals, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
That doesn’t mean the Cowboys don’t want to pay those players. It just means the team doesn’t want to allocate a big chunk of its salary-cap space to three players.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones on @dfwticket talking about contract negotiations involving Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper: “We can’t push the issue unless we want to be a market-setter. And we’re damn sure not going to be a market-setter.” pic.twitter.com/hebsOzXT2c
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 31, 2019
Jones says the team wants to be “fair” with all three players. But if the Cowboys are a “market-setter,” the team won’t have the money to sign other players in the future, according to Jones.
Dallas won’t have long before it has to decide how to handle this situation. Both Cooper and Prescott are set to be free agents at the end of the 2019 season. Elliott will hit the market following the 2020 season. He’s already holding out for a new deal.
The Cowboys have reportedly had contract discussions with both Cooper and Prescott. In May, it was reported that the team had reached a stalemate with Cooper. Now that training camp is in full swing, Prescott has declined to discuss his contract situation.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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