The Dallas Cowboys and Todd France, agent for one Dakota Rayne Prescott, continue to negotiate for a long-term deal to keep the quarterback in the fold for the foreseeable future. The rumors have it that the biggest issue centers around the length of the deal, with Prescott wanting a shorter one, or a higher average salary if he agrees to the length the Cowboys would like.
At the center of those negotiations is the fact the Cowboys have Prescott under club control for at least the 2020 season, thanks to the franchise tag placed on him last month. The amount of the tag has been unknown, until now, as it fluctuates based on factors that move with the market. That window of fluctuation is now closed, and Prescott’s tag number will be $31.4 million for 2020.
Good news for #Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: His exclusive franchise tag number was recalculated and it’s now $31.409M, source said. Previously it was $26.824M. The tags are based on 2020 RFA numbers, and they are finalized after the RFA period ends.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2020
The $31.4 million tag is almost exactly what we predicted it would be back in our offseason manifesto, published prior to the start of the league year in March. There were questions and rumblings about whether or not the NFL would rule that the tag amount would calculate deals signed earlier in the offseason.
That number matters greatly for the basis of negotiations for Prescott. The CBA stipulates that any player tagged twice, will get 120% of his previous year’s salary, meaning that Prescott’s 2021 salary if tagged again would be $37.7 million, or a two-year total of $69.1 million.
That average of just over $34.5 million is likely the middle ground as Prescott looks to surpass the average salary and fully guaranteed dollars that were doled out to his 2016 draft-class mates Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.
The Cowboys have just over $10 million of cap space remaining with Prescott’s one-year deal making such a big mark, but have an additional $7 million that will be available to sign their draft class and mid-season additions after Travis Frederick’s retirement becomes official, provided his already-paid bonus money is rationed out over the next two year’s caps as expected.
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