As has been expected for a while now, the Dallas Cowboys have applied their 2020 exclusive franchise tag to Quarterback Dak Prescott.This will allow the Cowboys to continue negotiations with Prescott without any interference from other NFL teams, and at the very least should secure his services for next season.
The deadline to use the franchise tag was 12:00 pm EST today. Dallas now has until July 15th to get Dak signed to a long-term deal if they don't want him to play 2020 on the franchise tag.
The Cowboys have placed the exclusive franchise tag on Dak Prescott, according to a source. The Cowboys' hope is to sign Prescott to a long-term deal well before July 15 but recent talks have not gone far. Since the system has been in place, only eight… https://t.co/NtO3IvpvcV
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 16, 2020
BREAKING: The Cowboys have put the franchise tag on Dak Prescott & continue to work on a long-term deal with Amari Cooper.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) March 16, 2020
The “exclusive” franchise tag guarantees Prescott the average of the top-five salaries from NFL quarterbacks, which should be around $33 million this season.
When the new collective bargaining agreement was officially approved yesterday, teams lost the ability to use both the franchise and transition tags in 2020. That means Dallas will now have to deal with other marquee free agents like WR Amari Cooper and CB Byron Jones as unrestricted free agents.
As for Dak Prescott, it's hard to say what the future holds in these negotiations. Are we headed to another Kirk Cousins situation with multiple franchise tags, or will Prescott and the Cowboys be able to work out a contract in the coming months?
While this isn't expected, Prescott also has the option to hold out and not report to the team under the franchise tag. We saw this in 2018 with Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers.
That scenario seems unlikely given Dak's personality and the money that's on the table. He will still make about $33 million in 2020 after his rookie deal brought in just around $4 million between 2016-2019.
That said, this story is far from over. What will the final result be between the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott? And how will this move impact the team's ability to hold on to Amari Cooper, Byron Jones, and other key free agents?
It promises to be a busy week.
