How does the new CBA put pressure on the Cowboys to sign Dak Prescott?
The approval of the new CBA puts the Cowboys under a ton of pressure. Dallas must find a way to ink Dak Prescott to a long-term extension.
The Cowboys desperately want to find a way to bring Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper back into the fold next season. The NFL players vote to approve the new CBA is going to make that process much more challenging for Jerry Jones and his front office.
The most serious long-term ramifications of the new 10-year deal are the addition of a 17th game to the regular season and the expansion of the playoffs. Those are issues for the Cowboys to worry about in the future. In the short-term, the new CBA will prevent them from using two tags to keep both Prescott and Cooper on their roster in 2020.
Under the old rules, the Cowboys would have been able to use one transition tag and one franchise tag to retain control over both of their offensive stars. The new agreement only leaves Dallas with a franchise tag to deploy.
The franchise can’t afford to let Prescott leave via free agency. That means they need to either sign him to a long-term deal or use the franchise tag to keep him. Obviously, using the franchise tag on Prescott would prevent the team from using it on Cooper. That would send the star wide receiver into free agency.
The ideal scenario for Dallas officials would be to sign Prescott to a long-term extension before free agency actually begins. That would allow them to use the tag on Cooper. Such a scenario might be expensive for the Cowboys, but it would allow them to keep both of their stars.
It’s also important to note that franchising Prescott immediately wouldn’t necessarily prohibit the Cowboys from signing him to a long-term deal at a later date. That might not allow the franchise to use the tag on Cooper, but it could alleviate some of their long-term issues regarding roster construction and salary cap allocations.
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The Cowboys front office shouldn’t be surprised at the predicament they now find themselves in, but that doesn’t make it an easy road to manoeuver. The franchise is now under more pressure than ever before to lock Prescott up to a long-term deal. The new CBA isn’t full of good news for officials in Big D.