Tag: Deadline

News: Dak’s no-deal fallout, Aldon Smith’s hand workout, NFLPA talking opt-out

In addition to dissecting Prescott’s no-deal, we check names to know in training camp and a high school visit by Ezekiel Elliott.

So… anything happening in Cowboys Nation?

In this edition of News and Notes, get up to speed on what went down between the Joneses and Dak Prescott as Wednesday’s deadline came and went. Of particular interest: reports of a last-minute Hail Mary attempt, social media reactions from fans (including Prescott’s own blood), winners and losers, and the chances of Prescott staying with the organization beyond 2020.

In non-Dak developments, an update regarding players who may be considering opting out of the COVID-19 season, Aldon Smith’s impressive handwork, names to know as training camp nears, and Ezekiel Elliott going back to high school. Here’s what Cowboys fans need to know today.

Dak deadline passes: Cowboys’ Prescott to play 2020 under tag :: Cowboys Wire

The biggest news of the day was the thing that didn’t happen. Now any long-term contract discussions between Prescott and the front office are on hold until the 2020 season is over.

Report: Cowboys tried at ‘last minute’ to do long-term Prescott deal :: Cowboys Wire

NFL Network’s Jane Slater revealed shortly after Wednesday’s deadline that there was an eleventh-hour conversation between the two sides.

Twitter reactions: Prescott’s brother doesn’t know how much longer he’ll root for Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire

Opinions flooded the Twittersphere upon news of the contract impasse, with Dak’s older brother offering one of the more notable takes regarding the team’s loyalty to his star sibling.

Cowboys don’t have cap space to tag Prescott again in 2021 :: Cowboys Wire

K.D. Drummond breaks down the Cowboys’ cap situation for next season. Contrary to what many are saying, tagging Dak Prescott again may not be in the cards after all.

No deal for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys: Picking winners, losers, and dominoes :: ESPN

Among those Bill Barnwell thinks have to be pleased with Wednesday’s signing snafu: the Colts, Patriots, Jaguars, and the rest of the NFC East. Losers? Deshaun Watson, Cam Newton, and us. (Dak Prescott himself makes both lists.)

Ranking tagged players based on who’s most likely to stay put in ’21 :: NFL.com

Guess who’s number one? “The most tiresome debate in sports television just got renewed for another season!” says Around the NFL editor Gregg Rosenthal about the Prescott/Cowboys soap opera.

NFLPA makes key demands for opt-out, guarantee stipends :: Cowboys Wire

With training camps set to begin in a couple weeks, the NFLPA makes specific demands of the NFL for the 2020 season.

Aldon Smith is working on his hands in this training video :: Blogging The Boys

Aldon Smith is looking to make a monster comeback after a five-year absence, and he showed off his hand workouts in a recent training video.

Film room: 3 Cowboys you shouldn’t forget about heading into camp, including a young safety with upside :: Dallas Morning News

John Owning talks about how Donovan Wilson, C.J. Goodwin, and Ventell Bryant may be names to remember as training camp draws near.

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Twitter Reactions: Prescott’s brother doesn’t know how much longer he’ll root for Cowboys

Social media exploded with news of the failure to secure a long-term pact; Prescott’s own brother now openly questions his Cowboys fanhood.

All day Wednesday, Cowboys Nation waited anxiously for news that disaster had somehow been averted. But the deadline for Dak Prescott to sign a new long-term contract with the club passed without a deal. Adding insult to injury is the report that the front office and quarterback were actually engaged in “last-minute” negotiations Prescott was amenable to, but that the two sides simply ran out of time to make it official.

Cowboys Twitter, unsurprisingly, had things to say. And even Prescott’s own blood got in on the online roasting. (That one comes later.)

The impasse turns 2020 into a prove-it season (once again) for Prescott, who will likely only see his price tag get bigger with every on-the-field success.

By not locking up their two-time Pro Bowl passer to a long-term pact, the Cowboys sure give the impression- despite all the laudatory things they say in interviews- that they just don’t believe Prescott is the answer.

With many questioning the organization’s loyalty to Prescott, some fans aboard the Dak Train are already making noise about getting off at the next stop. Among them? Dak’s older brother.

It’s a bad look for Jerry and Stephen Jones, viewed by many as among the most skilled wheelers and dealers in the league.

2020 could turn out to be the campaign that catapults Prescott into the untouchable elite category. Or Wednesday’s signing snafu may prove to be the beginning of the end of Dak’s days in Dallas. Either way, it will indeed be fascinating to watch it unfold. Probably on Twitter.

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Report: Cowboys tried at ‘last minute’ to do long-term Prescott deal

The team and their QB apparently had eleventh-hour discussions on a new contract, but ran out of time before Wednesday’s deadline.

It apparently came right down to the wire. But in the end, the Cowboys front office simply ran out of time in trying to finalize a new long-term contract with quarterback Dak Prescott, despite a reported Hail Mary as the clock wound down.

Cowboys ownership- specifically, Jerry and Stephen Jones- have a history of doing dramatic last-minute deals. But with the franchise-tagged Prescott, the fourth-round draft pick who was unexpectedly thrust into the starting role as a rookie and has delivered nothing less than two Pro Bowl campaigns and two playoff berths in four seasons while never missing a start and playing for mere peanuts, there was no celebratory press release. One NFL insider, though, says an attempt was made.

NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported just minutes after the Wednesday afternoon signing deadline that the Cowboys and Prescott were engaged in talks right up until the end.

According to ESPN’s Ed Werder via Twitter, Prescott and Stephen Jones “had a very brief conversation that the team requested and Todd France- the QB’s agent- helped to facilitate.”

Slater shared some pertinent numbers that were supposedly tossed around during that call, and even indicates that Prescott himself was ready to give the green light before the deadline ultimately passed.

Given that Prescott and the team have tiptoed around each other regarding a new deal dating back to the 2019 offseason, running out of time on the final afternoon of the negotiating window seems like an especially disingenuous “oops” of an excuse.

Slater later amended her reported figures, but emphasized that Prescott seems to harbor no ill will toward the team as he prepares to go under center for 2020.

Prescott, after all, will still be the starting quarterback for what most believe to be a playoff-caliber Cowboys team. He’ll still pocket $31.4 million for the season, an astounding 7.7 times his total earnings from the club over his first four seasons combined. And he’ll enter into negotiations with ownership all over again next year, when the market price for an NFL starting quarterback will almost assuredly be even higher.

What transpires on the field over the 2020 season- in whatever form that season ends up taking- will determine a lot. By pushing off their commitment to the player and flubbing a last-gasp attempt to lock him up, the Cowboys have effectively pushed all their chips to the middle of the table. Prescott is betting on himself for yet another year. And everything for both sides now rides on the upcoming season.

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Dak Deadline Passes: Cowboys Prescott to play 2020 under tag

The deadline has come and gone, and as of 3:00 p.m. central time, Dak Prescott still does not have a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott has been seeking a multi-year agreement with the Cowboys for over a year, but the two sides have …

The deadline has come and gone, and as of 3:00 p.m. central time, Dak Prescott still does not have a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott has been seeking a multi-year agreement with the Cowboys for over a year, but the two sides have not been able to reach an accord on deal length and guaranteed money, two factors which go hand in hand.

The Cowboys slapped the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott on March 16, keeping him from negotiating with another club. Once the dust settled on the first phase of free agency, the amount locked in Prescott to a $31.4 million salary for 2020. The two sides had until July 15 to negotiate a long-term agreement, and now that the deadline has passed, they cannot negotiate anything but provisions on a one-year contract.

Related: Cowboys don’t have cap space to tag Prescott in 2021

That means the sides cannot open up negotiations on a long-term deal until after the end of the season. Prescott has already signed his tender, so he will be showing up for training camp when it opens.

The sides haven’t done much negotiating over the last several months, with the Cowboys reportedly insisting on a five-year deal and Prescott not budging from wanting a four-year contract.

Dallas’ most recent offer has been reported for an average of $35 million and for $106 million in guaranteed money. On the surface, those numbers seem to be close to market value, but not when one dives into it. Because the offer to Prescott is for five years of new money, the percentage of his contract that is guaranteed would have been much lower than journeyman QB Ryan Tannehill just signed with Tennessee. Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, classmates of Prescott who have made $30 million and $40 million more so far in their career, also have more money guaranteed in their four-year extensions than what Dallas has offered Prescott for five.

Whether or not the club changed their final offer is not known, though executive VP Stephen Jones has maintained his position publicly.

Prescott’s salary places him eighth overall in QB money for 2020, with no future money locked in. If franchise tagged in 2021, Prescott will make 120% of his current salary, or $37.69 million. Because there is no long-term deal, all of the salary hits the club’s salary cap.

Report: ‘No scheduled talks’ between Prescott’s agent and Cowboys

With less than 24 hours to go, there are no plans for the two sides to meet… but there are options for a new contract for the QB.

Maybe someone should make a test call to the phones of Todd France and Stephen Jones, just to make sure they’re still on and working. The agent for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and the team’s executive vice president/chief operating officer have less than 24 hours to consummate a new contract for the starter before an important window closes.

But apparently, both sides have more important things to do on a lazy summer Tuesday than working to secure the services of the presumed leader of America’s Team. As reported by ESPN’s Todd Archer, “there are no scheduled talks between the Dallas Cowboys and the quarterback’s agent,” according to Archer’s sources.

But “Deadlines make deals,” of course. That’s an old saying that dates back to-

Wait. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the one who said it, back in the 1990s. And while the multi-billionaire has been in plenty of financial staredowns over his tenure as team boss, few other wranglings have felt like they held the future of the franchise in the balance.

Prescott is already locked in as the team’s starting quarterback for 2020; his signing of the franchise tender assured that. This game of chicken is about what happens in 2021 and beyond.

In a video posted Tuesday morning, Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan offers a quick guide to the five ways things could play out as the Wednesday deadline approaches.

To summarize, the team could:

  1. Do nothing. Let the franchise tag stand. Prescott makes $31.409 million for 2020 in what amounts to another one-year prove-it deal. Pick up talks again in the next offseason. The risk? It sends a message to Prescott that the front office still doesn’t believe in him, potentially souring him on wanting to remain in Dallas. It also makes 2021 even more expensive than 2020.
  2. Use the franchise tag on Prescott again in 2021. For another $37.7 million, the team retains control over Prescott for an additional season. But it’s hard to imagine the relationship could possibly survive two-plus years of let’s-wait-and-see-where-this-is-going non-commitment.
  3. Give in to Prescott’s ask for a four-year deal instead of a five-year pact. The sticking point in these talks has seemed to be more about time than money. Prescott, who’s been the biggest bargain in the league since his rookie deal, would understandably like another turn in the payday line when the league’s TV contract expires and there’s a lot more cash out there to be made.
  4. Find a way to make the five-year deal more attractive to Prescott’s camp. “Is there a way to anticipate what Dak would make in 2024,” Fisher wonders, “and compensate him for that now?” This spreads out cap impact and allows the Joneses more leeway in expanding the roster elsewhere.
  5. Get creative. Take a look at the groundbreaking contract the Chiefs worked out with Patrick Mahomes. Maybe “the first-ever percentage-of-the-cap deal” would be enough of a sweetener to bring Prescott around. Maybe working some magic with innovative option bonuses or guarantees. Jerry and Stephen Jones would undoubtedly love the revolutionary structure of their starting quarterback’s contract to become the talk of the league and the deal that everyone else is trying to emulate. All it takes is a phone call.

The clock is ticking, with loud, echoing booms like the cliffhanger ending of every episode of 24.

How far will the timer be allowed to count down? What happens if it hits zero? Will the Cowboys cut the red wire or the blue wire?

And will this whole thing blow sky-high if they make the wrong choice?

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The clock is ticking on a Saints compensatory draft pick for Eli Apple

The Saints projected to receive a compensatory draft pick in 2021 after Eli Apple left, but he’s a free agent again before the NFL deadline.

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We were so close to the New Orleans Saints reversing a decades-long trend when it comes to compensatory draft picks. Usually too active in adding free agents to qualify, the Saints finally lost more than they gained in the 2020 offseason following the departures of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, linebacker A.J. Klein, safety Vonn Bell, and cornerback Eli Apple.

When matched against the addition of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, that left the Saints with a +3 value in Over The Cap’s cancellation chart, projecting them to receive three compensatory picks in the 2021 draft. That would mean an extra selection in the third round (for Bridgewater) and a pair of sixth-round picks (for Bell and Apple, having lost another one by signing Sanders).

But Apple’s verbal agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders fell apart before he could put pen to paper, and he’s still a free agent. That cost the Saints a possible sixth-round pick in next year’s draft, and if he doesn’t sign with a new team at a comparable salary before the NFL’s deadline, they won’t get anything back for him.

The new collective bargaining agreement stipulates that veteran free agents may only qualify for the compensatory draft pick formula until 4 p.m. ET on the Monday following the draft; that puts this year’s deadline on April 27. With the first round of the draft set to begin on Thursday night, odds are slim that Apple will land with a new team before the deadline.

That means the Saints swapped a 2019 fourth-round pick and their seventh rounder in 2020 for just 27 games with Apple (including the playoffs). He was just as inconsistent in New Orleans as he was with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him, but Apple’s brightest moments far surpassed those with his first team.

So where does he go next? He might face a more active market after the draft, once teams around the league will have had an opportunity to address their needs at the position. If they weren’t able to do so, Apple should receive more interest as one of the few starting-quality options available.

But if he doesn’t get any offers to his liking, could a reunion with the Saints be in the cards? Stranger things have happened. Apple has said before that he enjoyed his experience in New Orleans, playing with old Ohio State teammates like Marshon Lattimore, and he would offer great depth behind Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins (who he also played with in New York).

But Apple’s best shot at a big NFL payday might come after he proves he can turn in 16 strong games as a starter, and he shouldn’t expect that sort of opportunity with the Saints this year.

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Taysom Hill’s RFA deadline comes and goes without an offer sheet

The New Orleans Saints finally signed restricted free agent quarterback Taysom Hill to his 2020 season tender, but a trade is still possible

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As expected, the NFL’s 3 p.m. deadline on Friday, April 17 passed without an offer sheet for New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill. The restricted free agent received a formal first-round tender worth over $4 million back in March, which he will now sign so that he can play football in 2020. Teams had until this point to make Hill an offer, though signing him to a deal that the Saints declined to match would have cost them a first-round draft pick.

Now, this does not necessarily mean that Hill will play for the Saints this year. He could still be traded to another team if the right offer is put on the table, but New Orleans’ decision to tender him at the highest possible value suggests they won’t send him away for peanuts.

Nor should they. Hill’s presence is often electric, especially when he’s allowed to make a play with the ball in his hands. Just look at last season’s playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings, when Hill was the only playmaker on offense for most of the second half. His impact was felt through the air and on the ground in some of that game’s brightest moments.

While the Saints can call him a quarterback all they want, more than half of Hill’s plays came on special teams in 2019, and their plans for 2020 include adding a third passer so that Hill can continue to sprint downfield and crash into opponents with his throwing shoulder. It’ll be fascinating to see whether the Saints change their approach, creating a scenario where Hill is able to handle the majority of snaps from under center as the starting quarterback.

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Will another team make Taysom Hill an offer before the NFL deadline?

The New Orleans Saints issued a first-round restricted free agent tender to QB Taysom Hill, and the NFL deadline might make him sign it.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill still hasn’t signed the restricted free agent tender the team issued to him back in March, but a critical deadline could spur him (or any interested teams) into action.

The NFL’s deadline for restricted free agents to sign an offer sheet with another team is set to pass at the close of business on Friday, April 17, around 3 p.m. CT. If Hill doesn’t sign his tender, he won’t play for anyone in 2020. But he’s fully expected to do so and suit up for the Saints.

Valued at $4.641 million (all counting against the 2020 salary cap), Hill’s tender would keep him in New Orleans for another year before he could test unrestricted free agency in 2021. If another team signs him to an offer sheet before Friday’s deadline, however, the Saints will have the choice to match it, or let him walk away — recouping a first-round draft pick in the process.

However, all’s been quiet on Hill since the Saints first formally deployed that tender. There have been no rumors of other teams considering whether to make a move for him, which makes sense considering the price they would have to pay in draft capital and his unproven NFL odds.

Hill played more snaps on special teams than offense last season and turns 30 in August. Any teams interested in his services would probably prefer to draft a younger prospect with more room to develop. So while things could change in a hurry, for now it looks like Saints coach Sean Payton will get his wish, and give Hill a real shot to succeed Drew Brees.

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NFL sets prices tags for franchise and transition players

A look at the numbers NFL teams will be paying franchise and transition tag players following Monday morning’s 2020 season deadline.

The Seattle Seahawks did not use either the franchise or transition tag on a player ahead of Monday morning’s deadline but the numbers have come out for teams around the league who opted to make the move.

Non-Exclusive Franchise Tags

Quarterback: $26.824 million
Running back: $10.278 million
Wide receiver: $17.865 million
Tight end: $10.607 million
Offensive linemen: $14.781 million
Defensive end: $17.788 million
Defensive tackle: $16.126 million
Linebacker: $15.828 million
Cornerback: $16.338 million
Safety: $11.441 million
Kicker/Punter: $5.019 million

Transition Players

Quarterback: $24.837 million
Running back: $8.483 million
Wide receiver: $15.680 million
Tight end: $9.117 million
Offensive linemen: $13.505 million
Defensive end: $15.184 million
Defensive tackle: $13.143 million
Linebacker: $13.737 million
Cornerback: $14.197 million
Safety: $9.860 million
Kicker/Punter: $4.559 million

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Report: Drew Brees, Saints nearing agreement on new contract extension

The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees are close to finalizing a new contract extension for the 2020 season, reports Yahoo Sports

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The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees are close to an agreement on a new contract extension, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported Monday night. Robinson added that Brees’ new deal “could be completed as soon as tomorrow,” ahead of Wednesday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline would come into play (raising Brees’ 2020 salary cap hit dramatically).

Obviously the Saints would want to stay ahead of any more salary cap hurdles, so hammering out a new contract with Brees would be in their interests. Once Brees is settled with a firm cap figure for the next season or two, the Saints can take a more proactive approach in dealing with their own pending free agents and scouring the options on the open market.

But how much will Brees re-sign for? Recent reports suggest that he’s open to accepting a lower salary than he could demand given his resume, which would be a huge boost for New Orleans. Any discounts Brees agrees to can be put to use signing other players and increasing the Saints’ odds of winning another Super Bowl. Here’s hoping they get this one squared away promptly.

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