Absent a new contract, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has subtly threatened to skip offseason workouts and train away from team headquarters.
But absent of worry is owner/general manager Jerry Jones.
“It’s not a concern of mine,” Jones recently said, per The Athletic. “Dak understands, in my mind, one of the great things about Dak is his commitment to building a team. I don’t have an issue there.”
Prescott’s hardline stance crystallized in January when it became evident the Cowboys were planning to use the franchise tag on the former Pro Bowl quarterback. Cracks in the foundation, stemming from stalled, months-long negotiations, devolved into gaping holes — some rooted in Prescott’s psyche.
“You would hope and you would think something is going to get done, right?” he told the Dallas Morning News. “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.”
Dallas is projected to wield more than $77 million of available salary-cap space in NFL free agency, which begins March 16 with the legal tampering period. The exclusive franchise tag would pay Prescott about $33 million for 2020, a $6 million increase from the non-exclusive tag, and a gargantuan promotion from the $2.025 million he earned in 2019, the final year of his rookie deal.
The deadline to use either tag is March 12.
But Prescott, who threw for a career-high 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, is seeking long-term financial security and the type of generational wealth packaged within a 10-year, $350 million pact, as has been proposed.
At the very least, he’d prefer a short-term yet highly-lucrative and almost fully-guaranteed contract, scoring a windfall now and the opportunity to re-test the market later, before the 26-year-old turns 30.
Prescott stopped short of threatening a respite to Cabo, a la Ezekiel Elliott. But without a concrete figure in place, he wouldn’t commit to showing his face at The Star or participating in voluntary team practices, which begin in April.
“Report that,” he said in January. “Be sure to report that.”
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Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Discusses Likelihood of Dak Prescott Holdout