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Cowboys and Dak Prescott Unable to Reach Long Term Deal

The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal by the Wednesday deadline. This means that Prescott will play the 2020 NFL season on the $31.4 million franchise tag.

Contract talks between the two sides began a long time ago in the spring of 2019. But the Cowboys organization and Prescott’s agent Todd France were unable to successfully come to an agreement. As of now, Prescott’s tenure with the team is anything but stable past the 2020 season.

The two sides did not have any real contract negotiations since March of this year, when it was reported that the team had offered Dak a deal worth $34.5 million a year. At the time, this would have given Prescott the second highest per-year salary for a quarterback in the league, behind Russell Wilson.

The future for Dak in Dallas is certainly more murky than it has ever been. Under the franchise tag rules, France and the Cowboys are prohibited from engaging in multiyear talks until after the 2020 season is completed. Also, if the Cowboys were to try and franchise tag Prescott for the 2021 season, it would cost them $38 million instead of $34.5 million.

In the history of the franchise tag, only two quarterbacks have ever played the entire season on the tag. San Diego used it back in 2005 on Drew Brees, and Washington used it twice on Kirk Cousins in their 2016 and 2017 campaigns. Both of these quarterbacks went on to sign big deals after they were tagged (albeit not with the teams that tagged them).

The most recent player franchise tagged by the Cowboys is DeMarcus Lawrence. Lawrence was tagged in 2018 and went on to sign a mammoth contract the following year. The former Boise St. Bronco is now the second highest paid defensive end in the league (Myles Garrett just signed a contract on Wednesday that made him the highest paid).

This is potentially good news for Prescott, who could see a huge payday just like Lawrence did if he balls out this season. He is looking to build off of last season, which was his statistical best season since he has been in the league. Prescott eclipsed 4,900 passing yards and also tossed 30 touchdown passes. When compared to his first three seasons in the league, where he never threw for more than 3,900 yards or more than 23 touchdowns, it is easy to see why fans are frustrated he did not get his due after the season concluded.

Another reason Prescott might be frustrated with his front office is because of all the players they did give lucrative contracts to recently while leaving him out in the cold. In the past 16 months, the Cowboys have signed DE DeMarcus Lawrence to a $105 million deal, WR Amari Cooper to a $100 million deal, RB Ezekiel Elliott to a $90 million deal, OL La’el Collins to a $50 million deal, and LB Jaylon Smith to a $64 million deal.

Cowboys fans can only hope that a year without negotiations does not sour the relationship between Jerry Jones and Dak Prescott more than it already is. Starting caliber quarterbacks are a rare thing to come by in the league, top ten quarterbacks even less so. Why would Jerry Jones and company sign all of the other players to lucrative extensions and exclude the most important position of all? It’s time to pay this man as soon as they can.

Prescott is joined by eleven other players around the league who will play under the tag for the 2020 season: Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett, Cincinnati’s A.J. Green, Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngakoue, New England’s Joe Thuney, Denver’s Justin Simmons, Pittsburgh’s Bud Dupree, L.A. Charger’s Hunter Henry, Washington’s Brandon Scherff, New York Giants’ Leonard Williams, Baltimore’s Matthew Judon, and Minnesota’s Anthony Harris.

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