QB Prescott reportedly wants $40 million a year

Sources confirmed to the Fort Worth StarTelegram that Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott has rejected a contract offer that would pay him $30 million per season.

Jane Slater of NFL Network is reporting that Prescott wants $40 million per season, which would make him the highestpaid quarterback in a league that includes Tom Brady.

A source did not confirm that $40 million figure, but did say “he wants more” than $30 million per year.

The Cowboys are trying to negotiate new deals for running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is not with the team at training camp and is holding out in this dispute. The two sides continue to exchange figures, but it’s clear that Elliott wants to be the NFL’s highestpaid running back.

The Cowboys also are talking to wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Each player is likely to receive a deal that will make him among the top three highest paid at his respective position. Running backs’ union? A petition reportedly has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to create a separate union for NFL running backs.

According to the website Law360, the petition was filed Thursday by the International Brotherhood of Professional Running Backs and focuses on the shorter careers for players at the position.

“These employees have unique career structures; and the current onesize fits all unit is inappropriate,” the petition says of players’ representation by the NFL Players Association. “Excluded: All other player groups,” it said.

The NFL Management Council and the union have begun preliminary negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement. The 10year deal expires in March 2021.

A message to the players’ union seeking comment was not immediately answered.

Running backs often draw attention for their holdouts, with Elliott currently missing from the Cowboys’ training camp. Last year, Le’Veon Bell sat out the entire season rather than sign his franchise tag tender with Pittsburgh. He subsequently became a free agent and signed with the Jets for $52.5 million over four years.

The average pro career for a running back is 2.57 years, by far the shortest of any position. Briefly: Cleveland defensive end Chad Thomas sustained a sprained neck but avoided a more serious injury at training camp . ... The Broncos moved safety Jamal Carter to inside linebacker to help a position thinned by injuries to Todd Davis (calf ), Josey Jewell (oblique) and Joe Jones (triceps) . ... The Patriots acquired tight end Eric Saubert from the Falcons for a conditional draft pick.