When a star player agrees to a massive contract that essentially resets the market, it’s typically common practice to discuss how that deal will come to affect the next guys (or gals) in line. In the case of Patrick Mahomes’ $503 million extension, it’s clear that nobody is going to approach that number for a little while, but Dak Prescott is among those that might see some extra bucks because of the mega-deal.

I mentioned yesterday that Prescott probably had a big ol’ smile on his face when he learned of the news, but our Patrik Walker (who is extremely on the pulse in Dallas) says that the Cowboys may actually benefit from the Mahomes deal, too.

Patrik’s a very smart guy and his entire column is well worth the read if you’re invested in the ongoing Dak/Cowboys negotiations, but here’s a brief rundown of his line of thinking:

• The Cowboys want Prescott to go five years on his extension (Dak wants three or four) and if Dak is to agree to that length, he’ll take the average of Mahomes’ first five years on the new contract ($39.55 million) and slide that number across the table
• Though Prescott won’t get as much as Mahomes, the deal could push his average annual salary to around $38 million. That may be a bit more than the Cowboys initially hoped to pay Dak, but a second use of the franchise tag next year would balloon Prescott’s salary to $37 million (so it would make sense for his AAV to land between $37-$39.55 million)
• Mahomes signing a 10-year deal means Dak loses a little bit of leverage in negotiating for a shorter-term deal
• Dallas did not want to set the market at QB and KC has bailed them out, even if it costs the Cowboys a few extra million per year. A longer-term solution means the Cowboys can limit Prescott’s Year 1 cap hit (relative to the $31.5 million he’d make on the franchise tag this year) and structure the deal so they can add another big piece for an immediate run

Basically, the Mahomes extension provides parameters and a loose framework for the Dak negotiations, which have seemingly been going on forever but have an impending deadline (July 15). The Chiefs may have helped pushed that dialogue forward and there’s an improved chance that both Prescott and the Cowboys will now end up compromising to get a deal done.