What’s going on with Dak Prescott’s new contract?
By John Buhler
Dak Prescott was franchise tagged by the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, but it seems both parties are re-opening talks on a long-term deal. What’s going on?
The Dallas Cowboys have re-opened discussions with Dak Prescott on a long-term deal.
“America’s Team” slapped its starting quarterback of the last four years with the much-maligned franchise tag. Though he’d garner the average of the top-five quarterback’s annual salary for 2020, both the signal-caller and the NFL franchise are hoping to agree to a long-term deal.
What is going on with Prescott’s new contract?
The #Cowboys and QB Dak Prescott have reengaged on long-term contract talks, and sources say the two sides are communicating and would like to work out a deal. With a contract this complex, there are so many details, it’s difficult to gauge where it stands. But they are working.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2020
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday morning Prescott and the Cowboys are now back at the negotiating table, but it’s “about far more than average dollars per year.”
There is a great chance Prescott will reset the quarterbacking market with this presumptive new deal in terms of dollar amount per year. Surely, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs will shatter it once he gets extended here soon. However, the big thing here is Prescott’s camp wants a shorter long-term deal, so he can re-enter free agency a bit quicker than initially expected.
Prescott is 40-24 as the Cowboys starter, completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 15,778 yards, 97 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He has brought stability to the quarterbacking position like Tony Romo and Troy Aikman did before him in Dallas. Though he may not be worth a top-tier salary among NFL starting quarterbacks, what else are the Cowboys going to do?
One would think the quicker the Cowboys get this done, the better. As soon as Mahomes signs for over $40 million annually, this deal won’t look as daunting. Given that Prescott wants a short-term deal, you would think the Cowboys would be all about this, too. If it’s a three-year deal or shorter, the Cowboys could get out of the contract easier than if it was a four or five-year contract.
Should Prescott outperform his new contract in Dallas, then the Cowboys will have to adjust accordingly in a few years. For now, they need to get this extension done as quickly as possible.
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Dallas did re-sign Prescott’s No. 1 wide receiver in Amari Cooper to a five-year deal worth $100 million. Though they lost cornerback Byron Jones to the Miami Dolphins and defensive end Robert Quinn to the Chicago Bears, the Cowboys can take back control of how their free agency period is going. Being able to re-sign Cooper and Prescott to long-term deals would certainly do that.