The Dallas Cowboys have dished out some big-time contracts in the past year, checking off necessary boxes as their best and brightest came due for extensions. The nut they just can't crack, sadly, is the case of quarterback Dak Prescott, who was reportedly close to signing a new deal in September only to back off.

Big D was forced to use the franchise tag in order to keep the QB around for 2020 with an eye toward working out an extension in due time. The latest remarks from team VP Stephen Jones, however, arrive with an air of sheepishness, or even resignation.

"Dak, obviously, is the elephant in the room. Everyone knows it. We’ve just got to keep grinding," Jones told the Dallas Morning News.

That's not going to be music to any Cowboys fan's ears. Everyone knows this, Stephen! Either give the faithful something to hang on to or tell the newspaper cats to stay away so you can, I dunno, get back to work?

"Obviously, when we’re talking about Dak, it’s as big as it gets in the NFL," Jones said of the stakes he and his father, Jerry, are staring down. "So, it’s got to be right for Dak, and it’s got to be right for us. It’s a zero sum game for Jerry and I. We’re just dividing up cap space. Whatever we do here is just a matter of how much we want to allocate to one player.’’

Again... these words helps nothing. They serves no one. There's no way to put lipstick on this pig. The least ol' Stevie could do is lock the door to his office, put his head down, and figure out how much guaranteed money it would take to keep Dak around as the franchise QB in the MetroPlex.

Anything less is a sideshow that's only going to feel increasingly sad.