Tight end Dalton Schultz has likely been priced out of long-term deal with Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz is simply going about his business working to improve his game while also trying to mentor the younger players at his position.
After having the franchise tag of $10.9 million placed on him, Schultz should be on the verge of signing a big long-term deal with the Cowboys, like defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and quarterback Dak Prescott did before him.
Both turned franchise tag designations into the most lucrative contracts in franchise history.
But this may be where the buck stops with Schultz.
The team has until July 15 to sign him to an extension or he will play the year on the franchise tag.
The Cowboys said they wanted to work toward a deal when they used to tag as a placeholder in March to guarantee his presence for at least another year
But there has been limited movement since.
“I let my agent kind of handle all that business. Right now, I’m just focused on OTAs,” Schultz said.
The reality is that while Schultz has blown up and turned himself into a quality player at the position, the Cowboys can’t afford or don’t want to pay him top-tier tight end money. Schultz was recently ranked as the eighth best tight end in the league.
And with Schultz, yesterday’s price is not today’s price.
Not with Cleveland giving David Njoku a 4-year, $56.75 million deal last week, making him the fourth highest paid tight end in the NFL.
Njoku’s $14 million annual deal should be the baseline for any Schultz deal. He has not come close to matching the numbers Schultz, who had 78 catches for 808 yards and 8 touchdowns in a breakout season in 2021 and that followed 63 catches for 615 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2020.
Njoku’s best receiving season was in 2018 when he had 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns. And he recorded just 36 catches for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2021.
Schultz is going to get paid. It most likely will come after the 2022 season and probably by another team in free agency.
For the Cowboys, it’s not just about making Schultz happy, it’s about managing the rising cost of Prescott’s contract, the coming deals for All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs and Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb and bracing for the future pay day of star linebacker Micah Parsons.
Schultz is a good player. He is one of Prescott’s most reliable and trusted targets.
But he is not yet a Pro Bowler and not seemingly destined to be an All-Pro.
All of that could be in the offing for the rising Schultz, who has come out of nowhere to get to this point.
A fourth-round pick in 2018, Schultz had 13 catches in his first two seasons, but in 2020 and 2021, he had 141 catches for 1,423 yards and 12 touchdowns behind the tutelage of tight ends coach Lunda Wells.
Of course, the Cowboys could always bank on getting similar development from 2022 fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson, who Schultz is mentoring to be his back up in 2021 and a possible future replacement.
“Obviously, we’ve got a couple new faces in the room,” Schultz said. “So just having a couple guys that I can try to help come along, knowing that I was in their shoes four years ago. It’s definitely a positive.”
Schultz is eager to do his part, while also trying to get better.
He has done that by getting bigger and stronger, and he continues to work on his technique to help improve as a blocker, especially when it comes to handling the standout defensive ends in the NFL.
“Tight ends in this league, you’re not going to win based on pure size and strength. You’re just not,” Schultz said. “D-ends are big, fast, strong. That’s why they get paid $20-mil-plus a year. They’re freaks. They’re freak athletes. So you’ve got to beat them with technique, you’ve got to beat them with speed, you’ve got to beat them with great footwork. If you’re able to do all of those things, that puts you in a good position to win.”
And get paid.
Though it may not be in Dallas.
