Dak Prescott is rumored to have turned down some mammoth contract offers from the Dallas Cowboys over the past several months, but a report we heard this week about the gap between the two sides may be a bit overstated.
Chris Simms of NBC Sports told 105.3 The Fan’s “K & C Masterpiece” on Tuesday that he has heard Prescott turned down a five-year, $175 million deal. Simms also said (via SI.com) that Prescott wants an insane amount of money — perhaps more than $45 million — for the fifth year alone.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the only issue between Prescott and the Cowboys at the moment is that Prescott wants a shorter deal than the team is offering.
To clarify any recent speculation on Dak Prescott’s contract negotiations: there have been no discussions on other scenarios other than the Cowboys wanting a longer deal and Prescott wanting a shorter deal, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 21, 2020
The Cowboys aren’t going to pay Prescott more than $45 million for any single season. It’s possible that he demanded that in the fifth year of a contract only because he knew Dallas would never agree to it, and Prescott is said to be seeking a four-year deal. Previous reports indicated the Cowboys offered Prescott $35 million per year over five years, which probably is not that far off.
Dallas likes giving out long-term deals to star players, but Prescott is 26 and wants to be eligible for free agency again when he is 30. If he continues to play at a high level, he would be in line for a significant raise at that point, as the quarterback market has risen rapidly in recent years.
It still seems unlikely that Prescott will play under the franchise tag this season, though one fellow star quarterback does not think that would be a bad thing for Dak. If the only issue is the length of the contract, a long-term agreement is still the most likely outcome.
