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Dak Prescott
Caving to Dak Prescott now will likely be cheaper than returning to the negotiating desk later, Donovan McNabb suggested the Dallas Cowboys.
The previous Eagles and Redskins quarterback, throughout a current look on the Final Stand Podcast, opined that Dallas ought to “pay the person” relatively than stick out the 2020 season on the franchise tag, which runs the chance of assembly an exploded market worth.
“Pay the person as a result of I’m going to let you know one factor — (when) you franchise him, say he has half Jameis Winston’s season and y’all make it to the NFC Championship Recreation or second spherical of the playoffs. And he passes for five,000 yards, 35 touchdowns and possibly about 12 to 13 picks. You understand how a lot cash he’s going to ask for? You assume it’s an issue now. It’s going to be a serious drawback if Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes signal their contracts,” McNabb advised Showtime’s Brian Custer, through the Dallas Morning Information.
It’s debatable whether or not Prescott joins the 5K Membership subsequent season, but it surely’s indeniable that Watson and Mahomes will ultimately rating mind-numbingly profitable extensions, with the reigning Tremendous Bowl MVP possible changing into the primary $40 million-per-year participant in NFL historical past. The present high-water mark — Seattle QB Russell Wilson’s $35 million yearly — will look like pennies on the greenback throughout the subsequent calendar 12 months.
Prescott reportedly sought $40M per season final season as his camp ignited long-term talks with the Cowboys. The workforce was unwilling to assuage him at that quantity, or wherever near it, resulting in oft-stalled discussions that, as of this writing, stay stagnated.
However not for an absence of effort on the Cowboys’ half.
In keeping with Mike Fisher of SI.com, Prescott has “a monster supply on the desk now” value $35 million yearly with “greater than” $106 million assured, a reasonably vital enhance from the workforce’s final proposal ($33.5 million AAV, $105 million assured) that Prescott rejected.
The current supply would make Prescott each the highest-paid participant in Cowboys single-season historical past and maybe the richest participant on a per-year foundation in league historical past, probably surpassing Wilson. The assured cash, nonetheless, would fall wanting Los Angeles QB Jared Goff’s record-setting $110 million.
At $175 million in complete worth, Prescott would dwarf Atlanta QB Matt Ryan’s $150 million pact. Nonetheless, that’s assuming Dallas springs for a four-year settlement — Prescott’s desire — as a substitute of securing a five-year deal, on which the group is standing its floor. The latter state of affairs “reduces” the windfall to “simply” $140 million, placing Prescott and Wilson on equal footing.
The edges have till July 15 to achieve an settlement on a megadeal. Failing that, Prescott will likely be pressured to play the 2020 marketing campaign on his $31.four million unique franchise tag, which too he’s but to signal.
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Cowboys Handle Risk of Revoking Prescotts’s Tag
If nothing else, Prescott can breathe simple realizing he’s assured $31.four million for the upcoming season, as by no means, together with a protracted contract squabble, will his tag be eliminated or rescinded, Cowboys govt vp Stephen Jones confirmed.
“Completely not,” Jones just lately advised Mike Florio of Professional Soccer Discuss.
Dak’s our quarterback for the long run. Clearly, this hasn’t been the simplest factor. As Jerry says, ‘As cash will get greater, offers get more durable.’ Actually, we’re speaking a major amount of cash right here which he so deserves. Completely not. Dak’s going to be our quarterback this 12 months. He’s our quarterback for the long run. We expect the world of him. He represents our franchise in a really optimistic method by way of what we would like as a frontrunner of our workforce. He’s simply an impressive man, and we’d by no means rescind the franchise tag.
As Florio factors out, the brand new Collective Bargaining Settlement permits Dallas to rescind the tag at their very own discretion. And there’s incentive (learn: leverage) behind such a maneuver. If Prescott had been to play this 12 months on the band-aid tender, the workforce would wish to supply the two-time Professional Bowler no less than $37.68 million in 2021 — a 20% enhance in wage — to stop him from changing into an unrestricted free agent.
“By ruling out rescinding the tender, the Cowboys have accepted the truth that they’ll both give Dak a report contract or see the clock tick loudly towards a possible monetary nightmare, or the departure of their beginning quarterback,” Florio wrote.
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Comply with Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL