![\"ESPN's](\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/ar_1.91%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200\/MjE1NzM4ODczNjQ3NDc0MDMx\/arch-for-dak-exposed-athlon.png\")
<\/p>\nThe salary cap won\u2019t allow it, Arch isn\u2019t declaring, and the Cowboys have no realistic path to make it happen\u2014even if they wanted to.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cam Newton made headlines with a recent claim: if Dak Prescott doesn\u2019t lead the Dallaa\u00a0Cowboys\u00a0to the NFC Championship Game this season, Dallas should move on\u2014and go all in for Arch Manning.<\/p>\n
On every level\u2014financial, practical, and logical\u2014it\u2019s pure wild fantasy.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with the money.<\/p>\n
Prescott isn\u2019t entering a standard contract year. He\u2019s entering Year 1 of a brand-new extension that\u2019s already been restructured to push some of his money into later years. The financial implications of cutting or trading him are staggering.<\/p>\n
A post-June 1 cut in 2025 would cost the Cowboys over $90 million in dead money. Even waiting until 2026 only drops that number to $74 million.<\/p>\n
![\"Cam](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ybmedia\/image\/upload\/c_crop,e_improve,h_655,w_1169,x_314,y_31\/c_fill,f_auto,h_1215,q_auto,w_2160\/v1\/m\/3\/e\/3ee163d678dbcdf254a9a09bb8539b5f81b69541\/nov-28-2024-arlington-texas-usa-dallas-cowboys.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Trading Dak post-June 1 in 2026 could still carry a $34\u2013$90 million hit depending on timing.<\/p>\n
In plain terms: the Cowboys are tied to Dak until 2027.<\/p>\n
Now let\u2019s talk Arch Manning.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s not planning on entering the\u00a0NFL Draft\u00a0in 2026. He\u2019s said it, his family has hinted at it, and Texas insiders all echo the same thing: Arch plans to stay with the Longhorns for two more years.<\/p>\n
That would make him eligible in 2027\u2014at the absolute earliest.<\/p>\n
And even if, in a wild twist, Arch Manning wins a national title and Heisman this year and decides to declare for the 2026 draft\u2014how would Dallas go about getting him?<\/p>\n
Newton\u2019s scenario assumes a playoff team will magically land a top-three pick in a stacked draft. That\u2019s not how this works. The Cowboys would need a full-blown collapse, a historic trade package, or both.<\/p>\n
In short? There is no timeline, financial scenario, or football logic that supports Cam\u2019s hypothetical. \u2026 and it\u2019s a shame that ESPN provides a forum to \u201cexperts\u201d so lacking in basic information.<\/p>\n
But we suppose \u2026<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the\u00a0NFL\u2019s quietest time of year. And in the silence, sometimes the loudest takes make the least sense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The salary cap won\u2019t allow it, Arch isn\u2019t declaring, and the Cowboys have no realistic path to make it happen\u2014even if they wanted to. Cam Newton made… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dallas-cowboys"],"yoast_head":"\n