Just moments ago, Jane Slater of NFL Network just reported that the Dallas Cowboys have made “generous offers” to Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper that would put them in the top five players at their respective positions.
Back in Oxnard for #Cowboys camp today and Wednesday and a few new details on the contracts front. I'm told the team has “generous” offers on the table for their QB, RB and WR. Putting each one in the top 5 “highest paid” at their positions.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) August 6, 2019
With those offers on the table, Slater is also reporting that if the two sides can't come to an agreement that the Cowboys front office is ready to let the players play on their existing contracts and prove that they are worth that kind of money.
Additionally, I'm told they're ready and willing to get the deals done but if the two sides can't agree on numbers that make more sense the #Cowboys are prepared to play this season with each player on a “prove it deal.” https://t.co/Grwlg3zTV4
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) August 6, 2019
Much like the situation with DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018, the Cowboys were willing to wait a year on locking up their franchise pass rusher in order to make sure that his 2017 wasn't an aberration. The problem with waiting, however, is that if the players perform like you hope and expect, the price to retain their services goes up. In the case of Lawrence, it went up anywhere from $2-4 million in just one season.
It's negotiation season for the players and the Dallas Cowboys' front office, which means that some of the negotiations are going to play out in the media to put pressure on the other side to get a deal done. Where these offers land in the “top 5” is a huge question as the difference between the highest-paid running back and the fifth highest-paid running back is more than $6 million a year. At wide receiver, the difference is more than $2 million a year. And at quarterback, the difference is $5 million a year.
That's a lot of money.
The Dallas Cowboys and their big three offensive stars will come to an agreement at some point. They've made no secret about wanting to have Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper headlining their franchise for years to come. They're attempting to be wise with how they get the deals locked in so they have more financial flexibility to get deals done in the future. When it comes down to it, they'll get the contracts finalized.
There's still more than a month before the Dallas Cowboys open the regular season when they play the New York Giants, which leaves them more than enough time to get these extensions finalized. It's unlikely that the front office or the players want these negotiations to linger into the regular season. Nobody wants to be answering contract questions as the team is preparing for the New York Giants.
At this point, it's just a matter of time.
