The Dallas Cowboys have less than two weeks to reach an agreement with Tight End Dalton Schultz on a long-term contract. The deadline for signing franchise-tagged players to a deal is on July 15, now just 12 days away, and the two parties are reportedly still far apart in their talks.
Dallas placed their 2022 franchise tag on Schultz after his rookie contract expired this offseason. It will give him a one-year salary of $10.9 million; a dramatic bump from the $2.2 million Dalton earned last year and the roughly $1.1 million he averaged over his first four seasons.
But while it sounds like Schultz should be happy with such a significant raise, the sticking point is what other recent TE contracts have done to the market. Dalton’s peers and even less-productive tight ends like David Njoku and Hunter Henry are now averaging $12-$14 million per season.
Naturally, Schultz and his agent think he should be making more and they have a good case for it. But the Cowboys are rightfully concerned that Dalton’s stats are more of a product of their high-volume offense and not a reflection of his personal merit.
Simply put, Dallas doesn’t want to pay Schultz premium money for unexceptional talent.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle; Dalton is one of the better tight ends in the league but not an elite talent. A lot of guys could have come into the Cowboys’ offense and put up respectable numbers the last few years.
That’s why the two parties are still struggling to agree to terms. Schultz has comparable numbers to some of the best in the game but the Cowboys think he’s less of a cause and more an effect.
With only 12 days left to figure it out, we may very well be headed to Dalton Schultz playing the upcoming season on the one-year franchise tender.
