Dak Prescott has been in the headlines the past few days as the media turns its attention toward the star quarterback securing a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
The franchise started the week by locking up CeeDee Lamb with a four-year, $136 million deal, and now everyone is left wondering when Prescott, who is entering the final year of his current deal, will get his payday.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said a deal before the season is unlikely, meaning the quarterback will become the most high-profile free agent in recent memory in 2025.
Prescott also took a shot at Jones, saying his words in the media carry no weight with him.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, however, is singing a different tune.
Like he did when Lamb was holding out, McCarthy had nothing but positive things to say about his star player during an appearance on Mad Dog Radio. McCarthy praised Prescott’s work ethic and dedication to the team, saying, “He’s as good as anyone I’ve ever been around.”
McCarthy added, “His ability to focus on a daily basis is top notch.
That is how you deal with your star players in the media.
Of course, McCarthy knows a thing or two about staying focused, because like Prescott, he is entering the final year of his contract.
If things don’t go as planned for Dallas in 2024, he and Prescott could both be looking for new jobs next season.
Dallas will kick off its 2024 campaign on Sunday, September 8, on the road against the Cleveland Browns. Tom Brady will be making his broadcasting debut for the game on FOX.
Five options for Steelers No. 2 WR post-Brandon Aiyuk extension
Steelers Likely To Add Veteran To 53 Man: ‘I do Think They’re Gonna Add One’
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver room has dominated headlines all offseason. Fans and analysts alike are concerned about the lack of depth behind George Pickens. However, another area drawing attention is the cornerback room, particularly the slot corner position. The Steelers have Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson slated to lock down the outside. They also welcomed back Cam Sutton, who initially built his career in Pittsburgh before leaving for the Detroit Lions. After legal troubles led to his release from Detroit, the Steelers were able to re-sign Sutton, though he is suspended for eight games due to NFL disciplinary action.
As a result, the Steelers will likely have to rely on undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. Bishop has impressed during training camp, but his inexperience is a cause for concern among Steelers fans. Ray Fittipaldo, speaking on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday, hinted that he believes the Steelers are planning a major move to bring in a veteran cornerback to bolster the depth. “Maybe you can get a veteran slot corner who can pick things up quickly and you go that route. If not, Beanie Bishop’s the guy,” Fittipaldo said.
“There’s really no backup on the roster, other than Thomas Graham [Jr.], who’s on the practice squad. We’ll see where that goes. I do think they’re gonna add one here in the next couple days. Just sit tight. I think it’ll happen.” Fittipaldo noted that while Bishop has a tremendous opportunity ahead of him, there’s a reason he went undrafted. Although he has impressed the Steelers organization, the team lacks depth behind him. It’s a significant challenge for an undrafted rookie to step in and start right away.
This is why Sutton’s return excited Steelers fans, despite his legal issues. Sutton has the versatility to play the slot cornerback position, and a trio of Porter, Jackson, and Sutton would form a solid secondary. There were initial concerns about Porter’s availability for Week 1 due to a minor injury, but recent updates indicate that he should be healthy and ready to play. However, this situation underscores the precarious position the Steelers find themselves in regarding cornerback depth. They are just one injury away from being in a tough spot. With some experienced veteran cornerbacks still available, the Steelers might consider bringing in additional help. Steelers Still Have Some Decent Options For Veteran Help At Cornerback Fittipaldo believes the Steelers will almost certainly bring in veteran help at cornerback. While the free agent market is limited at this point, there are still some solid options available.
The Steelers don’t need a star—they just need experienced depth. One potential option is bringing back veteran Patrick Peterson, who played both cornerback and safety for the Steelers in 2023. Though the Steelers released Peterson after the season, there have been rumors of mutual interest in a reunion for the 2024 season. Another possibility is former Steeler Ahkello Witherspoon, who started all 17 games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and performed solidly. Witherspoon could be a sensible addition to the Steelers’ roster. There are other veteran free agents still available who could also bolster the team’s depth. Fittipaldo is confident that the Steelers will add a veteran to their cornerback room. Steeler Nation is eager to see who that might be.
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MLB
One play may have just crushed Royals hopes for AL pennant
The Kansas City Royals not only blew a late lead in their 6-3 defeat against the Houston Astros on Thursday night but may have also suffered a huge blow in their historic push for the AL pennant. Both power-hitting first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and high-leverage reliever Lucas Erceg were forced to leave the team’s loss in the eighth inning after suffering injuries on the same play. The Royals announced on Friday that it was a near-worst case scenario for the 26-year-old “Pasquatch.
” Pasquantino was the No. 3 prospect in the organization when he debuted with Kansas City in June 2022. After recording 10 home runs and 26 RBI across 258 at-bats as a rookie, the slugging lefty was limited to 61 contests in 2023 due to a season-ending shoulder injury suffered in June. Pasquantino has been one of the Royals’ best hitters this year, leading the team in RBI with 97 (fourth in MLB) while ranking second in doubles (30) and walks (40) as well. The former 11th-round pick has also been one of the best defensive players at his position in the AL in 2024. Pasquantino leads the junior circuit in fielding percentage for a first basemen (.998) and range factor per contest for the position (calculated by dividing putouts and assists by games played) at 8.50. While there’s no word yet on the severity of Erceg’s injury, any absence would create a serious void in Kansas City’s bullpen.
The 29-year-old is in his second big league season and was acquired in a deal with the Oakland Athletics just ahead of the trade deadline on July 30. Erceg did not allow a run in his first 11 outings with the Royals before faltering the last two contests against the Cleveland Guardians and Astros on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. After winning the first three tilts of a four-contest road series against Cleveland this week, Kansas City had erased the Guardians’ season-high nine-game lead in the AL Central. With the back-to-back losses, however, the Royals have fallen to 1.5 games behind the first-place club and are only two games ahead of the Minnesota Twins for the third wild-card spot.
Cardinals designate veteran outfielder for assignment
Steelers Add Multiple Exciting Veterans To Fill Up Initial Practice Squad Roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers were waiting for a major domino to fall before making certain moves. That domino did fall, but it was not in the way that they hoped. Now that the Brandon Aiyuk saga is finally over, they can focus on many other things. To start it off, the Steelers get their practice squad filled up. They previously announced that they signed nine players, but the rest has finally been confirmed. The Steelers have announced the rest of their practice squad. Two of those players have already been confirmed, but there are some other little surprises sprinkled into this extension of the roster. Boston Scott and Brandon Johnson were both previously confirmed to be a part of the practice squad, and the rest are other players scattered from across the league.
The Steelers opted to mostly go for outside additions to the team as opposed to other guys from their training camp. Despite that, they are very familiar with one guy that they just now signed. Steelers Bring Former Starter Back John Leglue started in five games for the Steelers in the 2021 season, where he became a key player to help fix a terrible offensive line. He spent another season on the Steelers’ practice squad then before looking for a new home.
He played in one game for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023, and he is now back where his career started, and where he got significant playing time before. The Steelers also brought in a Super Bowl champion and a former teammate of Van Jefferson. Ben Skowronek was a depth receiver for the Los Angeles Rams for three seasons. His best season was in 2022, when he had 39 receptions for 376 yards and a score in 11 starts, but that’s clearly not enough. The Steelers could use some extra depth at the receiver position though, and Skowronek provides just that.
Jack Del Rio lands job with prominent college football team
Mark Cuban thinks Klay Thompson’s life will be ‘a lot easier’ with Mavericks
Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks worked hard to land Klay Thompson this summer. The Mavericks owner thinks Thompson won’t have to work nearly as hard on his new team. While appearing on the “Roommates Show” with Josh Hart and former Maverick Jalen Brunson, Cuban spoke about how the Mavericks prioritized adding offense this summer, since during the Finals, “There were times when we just couldn’t score.” The biggest move in that direction was working a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors to add veteran shooter Klay Thompson, the man who has made the sixth-most three-pointers in NBA history. Cuban posited that Thompson would thrive alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas, even though he’s leaving Steph Curry behind in San Francisco. “At Golden State, [Thompson] had to always be on the move,” Cuban told Brunson and Hart. “They had that motion offense where he was always coming off screens and running. We don’t so that. Or not nearly as much.”
It sounds like Dallas imagines Thompson spotting up far more often while awaiting passes from the Mavericks’ All-Star duo. Cuban mentioned that teams need to “face guard” Thompson, which would allow the other Mavericks to effectively play four-on-four, with Thompson keeping a defender anchored in the corner. In his prime, Thompson would regularly run around 2.5 miles over the course of a game. That slowed to 2.2 miles per game last season, still a lot of running.
The 34-year-old Thompson, slowed by a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon in the last five years, can probably appreciate the chance to stay put more often. While he won’t have to run around as many screens, all that running did lead to shooting opportunities. Is Thompson going to approach last season’s 14.7 shots per game if the Mavericks aren’t going to have him move around? The answer won’t be clear until the regular season. It’s likely that Thompson can get more open shots than he did on last year’s Warriors team, which was lacking in outside shooting beyond Curry.
But the tradeoff is that those shots are probably coming at a much lower volume in Dallas, where Doncic and Irving combined to take over 43 attempts per game last season. Back in 2016, when the Warriors signed Kevin Durant, Thompson famously scoffed at the idea he’d be taking fewer shots, telling Shams Charania, “I’m not sacrificing s—.” Now he’ll almost certainly be sacrificing shots as the price of joining a title contender. His life may get easier, but standing in the corner might be tough on Thompson’s pride.
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