FRISCO – As soon as the Jones family acquired control of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry and his eldest son Stephen were fully involved in the day-to-day activities of an NFL team.

Stephen’s priorities include mastering the art of contract negotiations from club executive Bob Ackles, a vital assistant to general manager Tex Schramm.

And among the teachings that the late Ackles emphasized to a twenty-five-year-old Stephen?

Ackles remarked, “The first guy to pick up the phone just lost the negotiations.”

Because of pay caps and free agency, several aspects of “The Art of the Deal” have evolved during the past 30 years. True, one of Ackles’ responsibilities then was to conserve the owner’s funds; today, it’s all about cap allocation.

But in the end, “winning” still matters.

This leads us to the topic of “Dak Prescott vs. the Cowboys.” and we’re informed that talks are going to start.

The schedule confirms what sources informed us earlier this week—that the two sides are “ready” to visit.

Indeed, we are aware of what seems to be a “shoot-down” of our information on Saturday, with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN claiming that the parties had not yet begun “substantial” talks.

We will not discuss that. We won’t disagree on what constitutes “substantial.” Both parties came into the week “prepared” to begin negotiations.

That is our narrative. We maintain the integrity of our reporting.

The quarterback, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in 2021, is about to start his last season. The Cowboys might choose to waive Prescott’s $59.4 million salary cap charge in 2024, but doing so would a) make it more difficult for them to invest elsewhere on expanding the roster and b) guarantee Dak’s freedom to depart Dallas in 2024 as a free agent.

Dallas has always intended to reorganize rather than go in that direction. However, Dallas may back down and take a gamble, particularly if agent Todd France pushes for Prescott to become the highest-paid player in NFL history (at perhaps $60 million APY?).

A third method is to move the money by adding years that are voidable. That would buy Dallas cap space with Prescott looking like a lame duck, so it’s a band-aid solution.

The negotiation arguments may be evident even while the answers aren’t. France may now claim that Dak finished second in the MVP voting and had league-high touchdown pass and QBR totals. The Cowboys may respond by utilizing their fancy new phrase, “holistic,” and urge Dak to give in on sharing a sizable portion of the cap pie.

And the extended schedule is looming all along. By March 13, Dallas needs to be cap-compliant. Of course, there are alternative routes. To put it another way, a choice about Prescott’s money needs to be made by that date at the latest. And by then, it most likely has to alter.

Is Dak “worth” the same as highest-paid quarterbacks Lamar Jackson ($52 million APY), Justin Herbert ($55 million APY), and Joe Burrow ($55 million APY)? The purpose isn’t actually that.

The subject of this negotiation will be the price of conducting “star QB” commerce. and if Dallas decides to carry it out in the long run.