The Dallas Cowboys have used their one and only franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. While this has felt like the logical conclusion to the immediate problem for some time, it’s an abject failure for the front office.
Contract talks stalled early in the 2020 season after dominating headlines for the majority of training camp. Suddenly, September came and there was nothing but radio silence. Cowboys VP Stephen Jones confirmed as much in February by saying there had been no contact with Prescott or his agent since before the season began.
BREAKING: The Cowboys have put the franchise tag on Dak Prescott & continue to work on a long-term deal with Amari Cooper.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) March 16, 2020
The franchise tag will cost the Cowboys somewhere between $31 million and $34 million in 2020, with our estimations at $31.5 million. If they choose to use it again in 2021 there’s an increase to 120 . They have until July 15 to get a long term deal done for the 2020 season and beyond or Prescott will have to play under a one-year agreement.
Prescott cannot be fined by the club if he does not report up until the point he signs the tender.
The issue is the lack of urgency the Dallas decision makers are showing. Teams across the league are beating Jerry Jones and company to the punch and signing quarterbacks to deals that push Prescott’s pay raise into the stratosphere.
In the 2019 season, the Cowboys quarterback bet on himself. All he did was throw for career highs in yards and touchdowns with 4902 and 30 respectively. It’s clear Prescott isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future, but it’s also clear that the Jones family dragging their feet has cost them a considerable amount of money.
For a look at how we would structure a long-term deal for Prescott and other free-agent targets, check out our 2020 Cowboys Offseason Manifesto.
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