Cowboys’ Prescott signs $31M tag; still time for longer deal
Dak Prescott plans to be at training camp with the Dallas Cowboys, if and when it starts, on the richest one-year contract in franchise history.
There is also still time to work out a long-term deal for the star quarterback.
Prescott signed his $31.4 million tender under the franchise tag Monday. That comes just over three weeks before the July 15 deadline to agree on a longterm deal.
By signing the offer under the franchise tag, Prescott is obligated to report for all team activities or risk being fined. He didn’t participate in the club’s virtual offseason program while unsigned.
Prescott played the final year of his rookie contract on just a $2 million salary. He was the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while leading the Cowboys to the NFC’s top seed in the playoffs and won his first postseason game two years later.
There has never been a question of whether Prescott is the franchise quarterback in Dallas. Owner Jerry Jones has repeatedly made that clear as the sides have spent more than a year trying to agree on a long-term contract.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has the highest per-year average in Dallas history at $21 million. The two-time Pro Bowler signed a $105 million, five-year deal last year.
Prescott has started every game of his career after replacing the injured Tony Romo during the 2016 preseason. He led a franchise-record 11-game winning streak during the regular season before Dallas lost to Green Bay in the divisional round.
The Cowboys missed the playoffs in Prescott’s second year when fellow rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott was suspended six games. With his running back in the fold for a full season in 2018, Prescott led Dallas to another NFC East title and a wild-card win over Seattle before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
The two-time Pro Bowler started his rookie season third on the depth chart after getting drafted in the fourth round out of Mississippi State. He moved up a spot when Kellen Moore was injured in training camp, and took over as the starter after Romo injured his back in a preseason game. Romo never got his job back.