Dak Prescott ‘Disappointed’ in Cowboys, Hints at Contract Holdout

Getty Dak Prescott

This is some about-face from Dak Prescott.

Two days after expressing the utmost confidence in a new contract, the Dallas Cowboys‘ franchise quarterback admitted he’s “a little disappointed” the organization has yet to pony up.

Layered in Dak’s uncharacteristically brash remarks is not-so-subtle contempt for the franchise tag, which Dallas has at its disposal — and are expected to use — if long-term negotiations with the former Pro Bowl passer continue to stall.

“We’ll get to that when we get to that,” Prescott told reporters Thursday, via the Dallas Morning News. “I look forward to talking to my agents and when that [franchise tag] comes to play, the direction that we’ll go. Until that’s a reality, I won’t worry about it. But I do feel like some of this should get done. I’m a little disappointed that it hasn’t, but that’s part of it.”

The sides, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones previously revealed, were on the precipice of an agreement before the start of the 2019 season. And although talks eventually crumbled, creating a nationally-documented standstill, the team plans to reach an accord with its “quarterback of the future,” who’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 18.

“It’s been urgent for us,” Jones said last week at the Senior Bowl, via Pro Football Talk. “We certainly want to get that done. That’s our No. 1 priority as we go into the offseason is to . . . hopefully find some resolution to it and get that done.”

Prescott reportedly is seeking a pact worth $40 million annually, which would make him the richest signal-caller in the sport’s history. While that likely won’t materialize, he’s primed to reset the positional landscape until Houston rewards Deshaun Watson or Kansas City hands reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes what is sure to be a gargantuan extension.

The Cowboys will take roughly $81 million in salary-cap room into free agency, enough to assuage Dak’s financial desires, if they so choose. The franchise tag is projected to cost nearly $27 million — fully guaranteed. The deadline to apply the tag is March 10.

“You would hope and you would think something is going to get done, right?” Prescott said. “I mean, you would have thought something would have gotten done before the season. In my brain, it only says that it gets done. Without the tag. … I don’t think any of that is necessary. But that’s business. That’s all calculated. That’s all on them.”

Prescott put a bow atop his rookie contract — earning “just” $2.025 million — with a career year. He threw for 4,902 yards, one shy of the club’s single-season record, and spearheaded the league’s top-ranked offense in yards per game and second-best aerial attack.

He stopped short of threatening a respite to Cabo, a la Ezekiel Elliott, but Prescott wouldn’t commit to showing his face at team headquarters, nor training in Texas this offseason, until a new deal is struck.

“Report that,” Prescott said Thursday. “Be sure to report that.”

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Initial Optimism

As mentioned, Prescott was bullish about signing a new contract with the Cowboys. Three times during a recent segment on NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport’s podcast, live from the Super Bowl festivities in Miami, the 26-year-old signal-caller used the word “confidence” to detail ongoing talks.