Cowboys were close to $33M per season deal with Dak Prescott, then he asked for more
Signing quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term contract extension is crucial for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason and the sides reportedly were close to getting it done months ago, until Prescott upped his price.
Prescott asks for more than $33M per season
The Cowboys and Prescott were close to a deal in September that paid the quarterback approximately $33 million per season, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Then Prescott asked for more.
“I don’t want to get into the details, but we have offered him significant money,” vice president Stephen Jones said, via the Star-Telegram. “The money we have offered Dak no matter how you look at it would put him as a top five quarterback in the NFL. That is the way we feel about him. He is one of the best.”
Prescott played the final season of his four-year rookie contract that paid him approximately $2.7 million in total, with $2 million in 2019. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent when the new NFL calendar begins in March.
Prescott wants as much or more than top QBs
Prescott, who turns 27 in July, reportedly wants a deal that would place him as the highest paid quarterback in the league, or at least tied with him, per the Star-Telegram.
That’s Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, who makes $35 million a season. Wilson is on a four-year, $140 million deal he signed in April.
Rounding out the top highest contracts that crack $30 million: Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger ($34.0M), Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers ($33.5M), Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff ($33.5M), Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz ($32.0M) and Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan ($30.0M).
Jones: ‘We want to get this done’
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported in December that the sides hadn’t had positive contract talks in months. The conversation seems to have quieted after Prescott asked for more, per the new report. And heating up the stove is Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who is in the final year of his own rookie deal. There’s also a quarterback carousel that is about to ensue this offseason.
With games officially over now, a new head coach in place with Mike McCarthy and key dates looming, Jones said things are “fixing to heat up” and “we want to get this done.”
“I know he wants to get his contract in the rear view mirror and we want it too,” Jones said, via the Star-Telegram. “We want him to be treated well, financially and respectfully. We are going to have a real urgency to get this done.”
The Cowboys may use the franchise tag on Prescott to buy time, but the young star has said he might not show up if he gets tagged. Teams can begin using the franchise tag on Feb. 25.
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