There was a question, apparently, as to whether the Cowboys would bring back coach Mike McCarthy. There’s no question that they’ll bring back quarterback Dak Prescott.
It has nothing to do with his performance, which was great during the regular season but not good enough in the playoff loss to the Cowboys. It has everything to do with his contract.
Prescott is entering the final year of the four-year contract signed in lieu of playing under the second franchise tag. He got to the second tag because the Cowboys refused to extend his rookie deal after three years, and then again after he completed his four-year rookie contract and he was franchise-tagged a first time.
The situation gave him considerable leverage in early 2021. He did with it exactly what team owner Jerry Jones has done throughout his entire life when he has had considerable leverage.
He took full advantage of it.
And so, on the first day of the 2024 league year, Prescott’s cap number will skyrocket from $26.832 million in 2023 to $59.455 million. The Cowboys have no real choice but to extend his contract before then, in order to chop down the massive cap charge.
The situation gives Prescott considerable leverage again. What will he do?
Well, what would Jerry do?
Prescott will undoubtedly emerge from the negotiations with another market-level deal. He can essentially name his price. The situation flows directly from the stubbornness and frugality Jones displayed after the 2018 season, and again after the 2019 season.
When the Cowboys opted in early 2021 to avoid Dak playing under the franchise tag for a second year and then Kirk Cousins-ing his way to unrestricted free agency in early 2022, the Cowboys signed Dak to a four-year contract, $160 million contract that necessarily would force them to eventually sign him to another deal, ideally after 2022 (it didn’t happen, even though the Cowboys wanted it to) and at the latest before the $59.4 million cap charge kicks in on March 13.
The Cowboys can’t trade…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dak-prescotts-contract-guarantees-hell-051256555.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-01-20 05:12:56
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