Getty Dak Prescott
Whereas his brother reacted with spit and vinegar, Dak Prescott opted for the high road after failing to land a multi-year contract from the Dallas Cowboys.
The franchise-tagged quarterback, who has 31.4 million reasons to smile, told USA Today’s Jori Epstein that he “couldn’t be happier” despite botched, months-long negotiations that muddy his future standing with the organization.
“I’m a Cowboy and couldn’t be happier,” Prescott said Wednesday night. “I look forward to working along[side] Coach McCarthy, the staff, and my teammates to be the best team we can be in pursuit to our goal of a Super Bowl.”
Prescott made similar remarks to NFL Network’s Jane Slater upon the expiration of Wednesday’s 3 p.m. CT signing deadline, stating he’s “grateful and blessed to be a Cowboy and working and moving forward to do whatever he can to help the team win a Super Bowl.”
Interestingly, Slater reported Prescott was “involved at the last minute” in an attempt to strike an accord with the Cowboys. But the parties, following several months of haggling, simply ran out of time.
Slater was informed the team’s offer to Prescott included a $50 million signing bonus and would have paid him $70 million for the first two seasons. Dak “disputed some of these details” before releasing his indirect statement.
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Too Little, Too Late
Epstein confirmed that Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones and Prescott’s agent, Todd France, discussed the parameters of a potential agreement Wednesday. But Jones did not submit a new proposal, instead holding firm with a five-year overture that would have paid the former Pro Bowl passer between $33-35 million annually and included guarantees worth “no more than $110 million.”
The same five-year overture the Cowboys floated in March — when the parties last spoke, as previously reported.
By turning them down, Prescott chose to bet on himself. He’ll earn a fully-guaranteed $31.4 million for the 2020 campaign, the cost of his exclusive franchise tag which he signed last month.
Prescott, 26, is the eighth QB since 1993 to receive the tag and will become just the third to play a regular-season on the one-year tender. The other two — Drew Brees in 2005 and Kirk Cousins in 2016 and 2017 — defected to new teams the ensuing offseason, according to NFL Research.
Dak’s Bro Slams Cowboys Over Impasse
Reacting via Twitter on Wednesday, minutes after the aforementioned news broke, Tad Prescott blasted Dallas for its inability to reach a pact with the cornerstone signal-caller.
The tweet quickly gained traction as the Cowboys began trending on the popular social media platform.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL