These Dallas Cowboys stars are about to get paid in a big way
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is the Cowboys’ top priority.
He is a free agent and the Cowboys have until March 5 to negotiate a new deal or place the $20.5 million franchise tag on him for 2019 and continue to negotiate.
Look for Lawrence to get a six-year deal averaging between $21 million and $23 million annually.
From there, the pecking order consists of quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver Amari Cooper, running back Ezekiel Elliott and possibly cornerback Byron Jones.
Prescott, the three-year starter and two-time Pro Bowler, is the 17th highest-paid player on the team with a 2019 salary of $2.045 million, largely due to performance bonuses. He is behind the likes of Jeff Heath, Allen Hurns, Chris Jones, Taco Charlton and Maliek Collins.
It is past time for him to get paid. And he will get full market value for a quarterback, starting at roughly $25 million annually. Book it.
Cooper is in the final year of his deal at $13.9 million. The Cowboys would like to extend him and reduce his cap figure. But it won’t come cheap, as the market value for the top receivers is $14 million to $18 million annually.
If the Cowboys take care of the others and don’t take care of Elliott, it’s going to be a problem and result in a possible holdout. He has two years left on his deal but he wants to get paid now while he is in his prime after leading the league in rushing two of his first three years. The Rams gave Todd Gurley a four-year, $60 million deal that includes $45 million in guarantees and a signing bonus of $20 million after three years.
Elliott wants his money now, too.
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 12:00 PM.
