The truth about Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys’ last contract offer they made him
Quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys have not been seeing eye to eye about much of late. In fact, it’s been two months since they’ve even talked, said a source, as the two sides remain at an impasse in contract negotiations.
But the two sides seemingly presented a collective front in shooting down a report from former NFL quarterback Chris Simms of NBC Sports that Prescott turned down a five-year, $175 million contract and that Prescott wants the final year to be more than $45 million.
Sources close to Prescott and the Cowboys vehemently denied both figures to the Star-Telegram as well as to other NFL outlets, including the NFL Network and ESPN.
The last offer the Cowboys made came in late March and, according to a source, it was a five-year deal for more than $34 million annually. But it did not reach $35 million, which would match the salary of the league’s highest-paid player, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
It does, however, edge out Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s $34 million annual deal for the second-highest paid player in the NFL.
The source also indicated that the guaranteed money in the Cowboys’ latest offer did match Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff’s NFL record of $110 million guaranteed.
As a practical matter, it is a deal that Prescott has turned down.
What remains the biggest stumbling block in a deal between the Cowboys and Prescott is the length of the contract, sources have said. Prescott wants a four-year deal, which is in keeping with all the recent deals and extensions signed by top quarterbacks, including Wilson, Goff, Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz and Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.
The Cowboys want to do a five-year deal to help with the salary cap.
In March, the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Prescott, guaranteeing him of $31.4 million in 2020 as the two sides continue to work on a long-term deal.
Prescott has since stayed away from the team’s virtual offseason program. If the two sides don’t come to an agreement by July 15 he will have to play the season on the franchise tag.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 6:16 PM.
