Getty The Cowboys regret not signing Dak Prescott sooner.
The Dallas Cowboys are expected to once again use the franchise tag on Dak Prescott, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The NFL could push the deadline back from its original date of March 9, but it is unlikely to impact the Cowboys’ decision to tag Prescott.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s Get Up, Schefter detailed how the Cowboys will set an NFL record for the most lucrative franchise tag in the history of the league. Prescott would make $37.7 million next season if he ends up playing on the franchise tag. This is quite a raise from Prescott’s $31.4 million salary last season.
“We should expect Dak to get the richest tag in NFL franchise history,” Schefter explained. “To have more power and more leverage shifted over to his side while the two sides continue to try to work out the deal that we’ve spent endless hours on this very program talking about whether it will or will not get done.
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The Franchise Tag Puts the Cowboys at Risk of Losing Prescott in Free Agency in 2022
On the surface, retaining Prescott on the franchise tag seems to give the Cowboys some security. However, it greatly opens up the possibility Prescott could leave the Cowboys in free agency in 2022 as playing on the tag for a third year would come with an estimated $50 million price tag. During his recent podcast, Schefter detailed the ripple effects that tagging Prescott has on the rest of the Cowboys’ roster.
“The new league year starts a week from Wednesday,” Schefter detailed. “The Cowboys will have to put the franchise tag on Dak Prescott to the tune of $37.7 million which is the single largest franchise tag ever given out to a player, and if Dak Prescott is on the franchise tag this year that means two things. That means there is less room for the Cowboys to keep other players and they’d be forced to move on from certain players at certain times because of the money it would cost to keep Dak Prescott.”
Beyond difficult roster decisions, the tag paves the way for Prescott to test free agency next offseason. Schefter compared Prescott’s situation to Kirk Cousins who eventually left Washington for Minnesota via free agency.
“Plus, Dak Prescott would have the ability after this year to up and walk away from Dallas as a free agent, just leave,” Schefter continued. “Become the 2022 version of what happened when Kirk Cousins left Washington and was able to command a fully-guaranteed contract from the Minnesota Vikings. And that was Kirk Cousins, could you imagine how much interest there would be next offseason in Dak Prescott if he and the Cowboys can’t figure out a long-term deal now?”
The Cowboys Have Reportedly Had ‘Good Talks’ With Prescott About a New Deal
The good news for the Cowboys is the franchise tag deadline does not prevent the team from reaching a long-term deal later in the offseason. A new contract can be signed this summer which would negate the franchise tag for Prescott. NFL Network’s Jane Slater provided a positive update on Prescott’s recent discussions with the Cowboys.
“Encouraging Dak Prescott news. I’m told he’s been at the facility nearly everyday rehabbing,” Slater tweeted on March 2. “So must not be that contentious folks. Secondly, Stephen Jones and Todd France have been talking and they are ‘good talks’ still nothing meaningful here but “better than they’ve been”
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