Jerry Jones admits Dak Prescott has leverage over Dallas Cowboys in contract talks
Now that the season is over, the Dallas Cowboys are ready to resume contract talks with quarterback Dak Prescott, who played the 2020 season on the franchise tag of $31.4 million.
Owner Jerry Jones openly concedes that Prescott has the upper hand in terms of leverage in negotiations, despite playing just five games before suffering a season-ending fractured ankle.
It’s not just that Prescott led the NFL in passing yards in 2019 and was on pace to shatter the NFL record for passing yards in a season in 2020 before the injury or that the Cowboys won only four of 11 games and sputtered on offense without him.
It’s also his leadership in the locker room and image as the face of the franchise.
“I don’t know how you could have any more leverage,” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “His evolving into an NFL quarterback has been nothing short of a perfect picture. He has great ability, in my mind, to win games. He’s talented. He certainly has the experiences and he has all the things, which has been substantiated by what we’ve offered Dak. You wouldn’t offer Dak what we offered in the past if you’d not thought he was very special.
“The issue is, how do you come together? And that’s no stranger to me. I’ve been doing it all my life, putting things together. We’ve got to get it together.”
How they come together and get together remains to be seen because of Prescott’s leverage and the same issues that caused an impasse in talks last offseason.
Prescott turned down a five-year deal worth nearly $35 million annually that included $110 million in guarantees because he wants no more than four years on his next contract.
The Cowboys wouldn’t budge off five years because they need it to help massage a tight salary cap that will be significantly lower because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have a certain amount, period, that can be paid to players every year. It’s a very competitive thing, and the longer the term, the more flexibility you’ve got in any numbers that you have in a contract,” Jones said.
Another franchise tag will cost the Cowboys $37.7 million in 2021 so it is in the their best interest to get a long-term deal done.
There is no reason for him to come off his demands of four years, and any deal the Cowboys offer him will have to average at least $38 million annually. That’s already a raise from the team’s last offer.
It has put Prescott in the catbird seat as he is one year away from potentially hitting unrestricted free agency in the prime of his career. Also, there is almost no way the Cowboys would place the franchise tag on him for a third time at a cost of $52 million for one season in 2022.
As far as his health is concerned, Prescott’s rehab and recovery from a dislocation and compound fracture of his right ankle in the Cowboys’ Week 5 win against the New York Giants is right on schedule.
“He’s here every day going through rehab. He’s making progress, and just as you’d expect, he’s going after it full speed,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “So as far as the timeline, I don’t have the specifics on when he’s going to be doing on-the-field work and dates and things like that. But I do know based on the plan for his surgery and what he’s supposed to be doing and where he is, everything is right on course.”
McCarthy said he can’t wait to work with Prescott in the offseason and he is confident that contract situation will get worked out.
“My conversation with Dak is always very positive and always with the focus on what the future holds and what we are going to do on offense, the team and his leadership,” he said.
