NFL delays tag deadline, so Dallas Cowboys have until Monday to deal with Dak Prescott
The NFL Players Association’s decision to push back the voting deadline for the new collective bargaining agreement has given the Dallas Cowboys a few extra days to negotiate deals with quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper.
The NFLPA and the NFL’s Management Council have decided to extend the deadline for the franchise/fransition designation from Thursday, March 12, until Monday, March 16, according to a note sent to the all NFL contract advisers Tuesday morning.
Absent a new deal, which could be ratified in a vote by the NFLPA on Saturday, teams can use both franchise and transition tags in 2020.
What it all means in the interim is that the Cowboys have more time to negotiate with Prescott and Cooper on long-term deals.
The primary focus is signing Prescott, especially with the team recently sweetening their contract offer to Prescott, a source has said, in an effort to sign the quarterback to a long-term deal.
The source confirmed that the new proposal represents an increase in the amount of the $33-million annual offer that Prescott turned down in September, however, the specific amount of the increase was not disclosed.
That offer, made last September, would have paid Prescott an annual salary of $33 million and $105 million in guarantees, according to sources, placing him among the top five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. There had been no negotiations since then until last month when team vice president Stephen Jones said talks with Prescott’s camp had started to heat up.
Details of the new proposal are unknown, but it’s safe to say the offer could result in Prescott’s deal surpassing that of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, whose average annual salary of $35 million is currently tops in NFL. But even that honor is likely to be short-lived given that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is expected to receive a contract that could re-define the market in the coming months.
If the Cowboys don’t get Prescott signed, they will likely use the exclusive franchise tag to retain his right and restrict his movement, guaranteeing him $33 million in 2020.
But that would mean they couldn’t use the transition tag on Cooper, unless the team reaches a new deal with him before Monday.
If the Cowboys are able to sign Prescott by Monday’s deadline, they would have the option of using the franchise or transition tags on Cooper to retain his rights, guaranteeing him either $18.5 million or $15.9 million in 2020, respectively.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 11:26 AM.
