Cowboys Latest Offer To Dak Prescott Exceeds Reported '$33 Million and $105 Million' Proposal
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott continue working toward a deal that would make the quarterback the highest-paid player in franchise history. But sources with intimate knowledge of the talks inform CowboysSI.com that the widely-circulated report that claims the team's present on-the-table proposal is "average salary of $33 million with $105 million guaranteed'' is inaccurate.
Dallas' latest offer is in excess of that.
Do those old numbers as represent the offer Dallas made in September when it believed as owner Jerry Jones said at the time, Prescott's acceptance of it was "imminent''? They do not, says one source close to the situation, who tells us the September APY offered was "closer to'' $30 million per year than $33 million.
Has Dallas upped its offer from that time? We're told the answer to that is "yes.''
And do those $33-mil/$105-mil numbers represent what the Cowboys are presently offering? They do not, per a source, who informs CowboysSI.com that the team's present proposal, in one form or another, is actually more than "$33 million with $105 million guaranteed.''
That can mean Dallas has moved up beyond $33 mil APY, or it can mean Dallas has moved up beyond the $105 million guaranteed; we're not clear on details beyond what we're expressing here.
But certainly, the number that is missing here that is most critical is "years.'' The Cowboys' present offer is cumulatively more than the reported figures. And all of these numbers might be more palatable to the Jones family if they get Prescott to agree to, say, a six-year contract rather than the shorter-term deal that CAA agent Todd France is likely asking for given the state of the league's TV contract and the likelihood of a gigantic increase in the salary cap in coming years.
The NFL's TV contract expires after the 2022 season. Being a free agent in a way that coincides with that window figures to be a boon to a player like Prescott, who the Cowboys view as a "face-of-the-franchise''-level talent. There is therefore every reason, as long as a player gets a handsome amount of guaranteed money, to desire no more than a three-year commitment.
Thursday is the deadline to reach a deal lest the Cowboys be forced to franchise-tag Prescott. The exclusive tag will mean a guaranteed one-year salary of $33 million while the sides continue to negotiate.
But all of the numbers need to be right. And at this moment, the numbers being discussed in the court of public opinion are not quite right - and while Dallas has upped its offer, the numbers being exchanged in negotiations are not, to the involved parties, right enough, either.
