The Cowboys haven’t had many instances in franchise history when they weren’t able to reach agreement with a cornerstone player they desired to keep. But they didn’t get Dak Prescott signed to a long-term deal before Wednesday’s deadline.
Prescott becomes only the third NFL quarterback to play under the franchise tag, joining Drew Brees (2005) and Kirk Cousins (2016, 2017). Neither Brees nor Cousins signed a long-term deal with their respective teams, with Brees leaving the Chargers for the Saints and Cousins departing Washington for Minnesota.
Could this be the beginning of the end for Prescott in Dallas?
The sides have talked more than a year without coming to terms. It would cost the Cowboys $37.68 million to tag him in 2021, and in 2022, the transition tag goes north of $45 million and the franchise tag in excess of $54 million.
New coach Mike McCarthy will get to see Prescott for at least a year but maybe only for a year or two.
We have not heard from Prescott or anyone from the Cowboys’ front office, but Prescott’s brother, Tad, responded on Twitter immediately after the 4 p.m. ET deadline passed, questioning Dak’s future in Dallas.
“There is a reason I was never a @dallascowboys fan growing up or before they drafted @dak,” Tad Prescott wrote. “After today, who knows how much longer I’ll be cheering for them.”
Dak Prescott already signed the one-year franchise tender worth $31.4 million. Only three other players in team history -- Flozell Adams, Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Lawrence -- have played on the tag.