How the Dallas Cowboys’ decision on Dak Prescott’s contract will impact the Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have had a pretty good life over the last two offseasons. In 2023, the draft brought us CJ Stroud and Will Anderson as the future saviors of the organization, and perhaps the city itself. In 2024, the Texans got ultra-aggressive in free agency and trades, landing Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, and Danielle Hunter, among others.

Along the way, there has been virtually no contract drama. The only major extension, to receiver Nico Collins, didn’t raise any dark clouds or social media rants. It was just a standard $72 million contract extension negotiated on the sly. The closest thing to drama in the last two years came from the ever-agitating cornerback Steven Nelson, who lashed out at Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans with personal insults about their attire and appearance. Needless to say, Nelson is gone.

One day, the Texans will have a tough offseason again. Every team, even the good ones, have them. I would say ESPECIALLY the good ones. The Cowboys, Packers, and Dolphins are all good NFL teams, and all three are currently having a tough time with their starting quarterbacks as all three playmakers seek massive new contract extensions.

As we pointed out last week, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is average, just signed a contract that matches the league’s highest average annual value at $55 million. I would argue that the three quarterbacks we referenced above — the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, the Packers’ Jordan Love and the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa — are all better and more productive players than Lawrence. Prescott and Love, no doubt.

So these three teams are now competing with their leaders, all of whom likely want more than Lawrence. Let’s look at these three matchups through the prism of the Texans. What should we be rooting for in each of these cases?

DAK PRESCOTT, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott is in the final season of a long-term deal he signed a few seasons ago, and he’s currently on the books with a $55 million salary cap hit. This is a team that also wants to offer big deals to WR Cede Lamb and LB Micah Parsons this offseason. The worst thing for the rest of the league would be if Prescott became a free agent next spring, as the QB salary cap would skyrocket, likely to over $60 million per year if there were a bidding war. With CJ Stroud eligible for an extension in a few seasons, the lower the top salary stays, the better. So, encourage the Cowboys and Prescott to agree to a long-term deal this offseason for a little more than Lawrence makes, maybe $56 or $57 million per year.

JORDAN LOVE, Green Bay Packers
Love is also on track for a big payday, having waited three seasons behind Aaron Rodgers, and in his first season as a starter, he nearly eliminated the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Here’s the thing about Love: His agent is David Mulugheta, who helped Deshaun Watson leave Houston and get a record amount of guaranteed money from the Browns. Mulugheta is also Stroud’s agent, so I hope Love lands a lucrative, but team-friendly, deal that allows the Packers to sign some of his teammates to big deals. That would show me that Mulugheta is okay with having a client who isn’t looking to make a lot of money, but instead prioritizes winning, like we hope C.J. Stroud will do in two seasons.

TUA TAGOVAILOA, Miami Dolphins
Go to social media and search for “Tua contract” and you’ll find that the Dolphins, at least for now, have no desire to pay him the Trevor Lawrence/Joe Burrow level of $55 million per year. Tagovailoa has been very vocal about how the lack of a new contract is affecting him mentally right now, so here’s what I hope, from the Texans’ perspective: I hope Tagovailoa doesn’t get a new contract, that he becomes a basket case to worry about, and that he throws four interceptions against the Texans in Week 15 at NRG Stadium.

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