Dallas Cowboys put franchise tag on Dak Prescott, expose Amari Cooper to free agency
In what was the worst scenario possible, the Dallas Cowboys were unable to sign quarterback Dak Prescott or receiver Amari Cooper to long-term contract extensions ahead of the Monday morning deadline, resulting in the team using the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott and exposing Cooper to free agency.
Prescott is guaranteed $31.6 million in 2020 as the Cowboys kept exclusive negotiating rights with him.
Cooper, however, is now free to talk to other teams during the legal tampering period, which began at 11 a.m. Monday.
Per sources, the Cowboys will continue to negotiate with Cooper before free agency officially begins on Wednesday.
But this is a potential doomsday scenario that the Cowboys wanted to avoid.
They hoped to at least sign one of the two players, allowing them to tag the other — the franchise tag for Prescott or the transition tag for Cooper.
But the team could only use one tag if they couldn’t reach an agreement with either.
Prescott was the top priority and the Cowboys had long said they were going retain control of his rights. So that meant they had to use the franchise tag on the quarterback.
But it also means no tag was available for Cooper, making him an unrestricted free agent and free to negotiate with any team in the league, starting Monday at 11 a.m.
If Cooper signs elsewhere, it would be a huge setback for the Cowboys because of what he means to the Prescott and the offense and because of what the Cowboys gave up to get him.
They would have nothing to show for the 2019 first-round pick they sent to the Oakland Raiders to acquire Cooper midway through the 2018 season.
Cooper has 132 catches for 1,934 yards and 14 touchdowns in 25 games with the Cowboys as Prescott’s No. 1 option.
Any deal for Cooper started at $18 million annually, and now he could get $20 million or more on the open market.
But the biggest issue is the team’s inability to get a deal done with Prescott, who turned down a contract averaging $33 million annually with $105 million guaranteed in September.
The Cowboys recently upped that offer that could potentially surpass Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson ($35 million annually) as the league’s highest-paid player.
But it wasn’t enough to get a deal done.
Likely strengthening Prescott’s resolve was the four-year, $118 million deal given to Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill on Sunday.
Tannehill got his mega deal after a half-season of good football with the Titans. His body of work pales in comparison to Prescott’s four years with the Cowboys. And Prescott is coming off his best season, one in which he threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns.
That Tannehill signed for only four years is another sticking point between the Cowboys and Prescott.
The Cowboys had wanted to sign Prescott to a longer deal, but the quarterback has been angling for just four years, which is consistent with the recent contracts signed by Wilson and Tannehill.
Now that he is under the tag, Prescott will likely miss the start of the off-season program with new coach Mike McCarthy, using it as leverage for continued negotiations.
Prescott and Cowboys have until July 15 to come to terms on a long-term contract extension. If not, he will have to play out the season on the franchise tag.
Prescott is the sixth Cowboy to have been given the franchise tag in team history. Safety Ken Hamlin (2008), receiver Dez Bryant (2015) and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (2019) were eventually signed to long-term deals and had the tag removed. Tackle Flozell Adams (2002), defensive end Anthony Spencer (2012, 2013) and Lawrence (2018) played those seasons on the tag.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Dallas Cowboys put franchise tag on Dak Prescott, expose Amari Cooper to free agency."
