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Friday, May 10, 2019

Cowboys news: SVP Stephen Jones says Cowboys ramping up contract talks with Dak Prescott & Amari Cooper

The Cowboys’ front office is looking to close some deals with their top offensive stars in the near future.

Which Cowboys star is next in line for a contract extension, Dak, Zeke, Amari? -David Helman - DallasCowboys.com
Stephen Jones makes it clear the Cowboys want to extend their young offensive stars as they are sorting through the contract talk.

Naturally, that’s going to raise questions about how the Cowboys plan to afford all of this. Prescott’s next salary at the all-important quarterback position could crack the $30 million mark, while Cooper figures to command $17 or $18 million per year and Elliott should have a shot at a $13 or $14 million salary.

That doesn’t include Byron Jones, Jaylon Smith or La’el Collins – all of whom need new contracts, and all of whom Stephen Jones mentioned on Wednesday. So it’s easy to understand why this seems like a big undertaking.

“You know the good news is, that cap continues to grow,” Jones said. “And it is growing and it’s great for our players, it’s obviously great for the teams, that we’ve done a good job with our business in terms of generating revenue.”

At the same time, the Cowboys aren’t blind to the reality of the situation. If all of their in-demand players max out their contracts, the money will run out eventually. In the interest of maximizing the talent on their roster, it will be interesting to see how well they balance rewarding their veteran with saving money for the rest of their roster.

We’re all waiting to see when the Dak Prescott deal will be done, and what it turns out to be.

Dak Prescott received Cowboys initial contract extension offer - K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
We are strictly in the speculative stage about a coming Dak Prescott extension - but K.D. is a smart guy when it comes to all things contracts.

Dallas would like to have a new deal in place before the start of the regular season.

It will be interesting to see the makeup of whatever deal is in place, as Dallas could easily structure it to pay Prescott the going rate for franchise quarterbacks, while simultaneously protecting themselves beyond a three-year window.

For instance, a deal where his base salary remains at $2 million and he gets a $15 million bonus (spread over 5 years of the cap) that would only increase his 2019 hit to $5 million.

With our $87 million-guaranteed projection, that leaves $70 million to be paid out over the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Cowboys are confident they'll get Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott and others signed long term -Jon Machota- SportsDay
The Cowboys front office is not sweating any upcoming contract extensions as they believe the young nucleus is just as motivated to get long-term deals done.

Stephen Jones said the negotiations with Prescott and Cooper are “off and running.” Both are entering the final year of their rookie deals. The players are looking to cash in on the biggest contract opportunity of their careers.

The Cowboys want to get those deals finalized without “maxing out” each player.

”If we can talk them into not maxing out, doing well, but not maxed, that allows us to have other good football players around them,” Jones said during the team’s annual golf outing for sponsors at Cowboys Golf Club. “And we all know what happens, you look at the TV booths and look at what these players do off the field, if we can put Super Bowl rings on these guys they’ll be legends around this area for many, many, many years to come.

”What they may give up a little bit in their contract, they should be able to invest in being a Cowboy and making our teams better.”

Inside Cowboys' decision to draft UCF DT Trysten Hill despite concerns about 'attitude'- Jori Epstein-USA Today
The Cowboys are not concerned about top draft pick Trysten Hill's 'attitude' concerns after doing a hefty load of homework on the young, explosive defender.

So forgive Cowboys owner Jerry Jones if he’s not concerned about defensive tackle Trysten Hill’s disagreements with a coaching staff.

Jones said Tuesday afternoon he has no concerns about the lineman he drafted with the 58th overall pick.

“I do not, no,” Jones said from the groundbreaking of the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge for cancer patients and caretakers in North Texas. “When you have a change in a coaching staff, especially when you have one at that critical juncture, when you’re getting ready to finish your college career, that’s like losing a parent to some degree.

“That’s quite an adjustment for anyone. We took all that into account.”

Trade Calls, Safety, Upcoming Minicamp & More - Rob Phillips, DallasCowboys.com
Stephen Jones talked about things, including how other teams are eyeing the talent in Dallas.

Here’s a sign the Cowboys have built strong depth across their roster: Since the draft, Jones said teams around the league about potential trades at different positions, "which I think says a lot,” Jones said. “We’ve got some really good football players. I love Jerry’s famous line: you keep strong at a position by drafting a position of strength. That’s what we did with (third-round pick Connor) McGovern. I think we’ve got some real depth there on the offensive line, not to mention many other positions. So I think that’ll pay off for us.”

Ezekiel Elliott To Pay For Funeral Of Slain St. Louis Teen | Mike Fisher, 105.3 The Fan
Ezekiel Elliott has had more highs and lows in his three year career than most players have. He certainly has gotten a lot of criticism for some off field stuff. He does some good things, too, and this may be one of the best.

Back home in Elliott's native St. Louis area, some buoyancy, some inspiration, some "bright soul'' is desperately needed by the family of Jaylon McKenzie, a 14-year-old rising football star from Belleville, Illinois, who on Saturday night was shot and killed while attending a party. The eighth-grader who already had college offers from the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois had such a promising future he was recently featured in the Sports Illustrated.

But now there is to be a funeral for Jaylon McKenzie. And behind the scenes, with no intention of or desire of fanfare, Ezekiel Elliott has contacted the family to offer comfort and to pay for the memorial service.

Dallas Cowboys: Giants sign former Cowboys running back Rod Smith | SportsDay (via AP)
If you weren't aware, on Tuesday, free agents who sign with new teams no longer count for compensatory pick determination.

The New York Giants have signed former Dallas Cowboys running back Rod Smith.

The Giants announced the signing Wednesday, putting Smith in a crowded backfield to compete for the backup job to NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley.

What's the Dallas Cowboys Biggest Post-Draft Unanswered Question? ✭ Brian Martin, Inside the Star
We are going to worry about the way the Cowboys addressed safety until the season starts - and if things don't go well, worry is just the beginning.

Heading into the 2019 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys were pretty adamant about wanting to upgrade the safety position. They can't say they didn't have their opportunity. They could have drafted one of the most athletically gifted ball hawking safeties in the entire draft class at 58th overall in Juan Thornhill, but decided a disruptive, penetrating defensive tackle (Trysten Hill) was the better pick. Only time will tell whether this was the right decision or not.

Whether we like it or not, the safety position for the Dallas Cowboys is going to look a lot like it did in 2018. The only new faces on the backend of the Cowboys defense is George Iloka, who they signed as a free agent, and Donovan Wilson out of Texas A&M, who they drafted in the sixth-round in this years draft. I don't know about you, but I'm not very confident either player is an upgrade over Jeff Heath.

Cowboys SVP Stephen Jones says teams have called dangling safeties for trade bait- Jori Epstein-USA Today
The Cowboys did not select one of the top rated safeties in this year's draft and have been on the receiving end of trade calls since the draft's conclusion.

“Not just anybody fits with what we are trying as an organization to get accomplished at that position,” he said. “It has to be a safety that works for us.”

In the interim, the Cowboys drafted two running backs, two defensive ends and third-round guard Connor McGovern. The Cowboys hadn’t lost an offensive-line starter – in fact, they expect all-pro center Travis Frederick to return after an autoimmune disorder sidelined him in 2018 – but said they’d continue fortifying their strengths. Consider the offensive line a roster asset rather than imbalance, Jones said.

“We have [received calls about] different positions, which I think says a lot,” Jones said. “I love Jerry’s famous line, you keep strong at a position by drafting into a position of strength. That’s what we did with McGovern. I think we’ve got some depth there in the offensive line, not to mention many other positions.

“So I think that’ll pay off for us.”

Dallas Cowboys: What is the most intriguing Cowboys position battle heading toward training camp? | Jean-Jaques Taylor, SportsDay
There are a lot of possibilities here, but this is one of the more interesting.

Q: What position groups/battles intrigue you the most now that focus shifts more toward camp?

JJT: I'm all in on the left guard battle. For real. I want to see Connor Williams and Connor McGovern battle for the job. McGovern is a third-round pick who is built like a guard at 6-5 and 308 pounds. He should be able to hold up against the 330-pound defensive tackles who gave Williams issues throughout last season. I wouldn't be shocked at all if McGovern is starting by Halloween, if not earlier. Williams will get the first crack at the job, but if he struggles at all McGovern will be ready to jump in.



from Blogging The Boys - All Posts http://bit.ly/305XD2V

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