Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys continue to work toward a long-term contract extension, but the quarterback now stands to make even more money than initially believed next season if he is forced to play under the franchise tag.
The estimated franchise tag number for quarterbacks this year was just under $27 million previously, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that it was recently recalculated based on the 2020 restricted free agent salaries. The actual figure is nearly $31.5 million, which is what Prescott’s guaranteed salary for 2020 will be if he and the Cowboys don’t come to an agreement on a long-term deal prior to July 15.
To be clear: Exclusive franchise tags are based on the average of the top five QB salaries once the RFA signing period of the current league year ends. The original number is a placeholder. Now, $31.409M is the real number for Dak https://t.co/SEEnNkDR3E
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2020
Obviously, Prescott would still prefer a long-term deal. While the thought of pocketing $31.5 million before becoming a free agent has to be appealing, he stands to make more than $100 million guaranteed if and when he signs an extension with the Cowboys. Still, the higher franchise tag number gives Prescott some leverage, as Dallas would probably prefer having the flexibility to spread the quarterback’s salary cap hit out.
Prescott and the Cowboys have been discussing an extension for months, and there have been varying reports about the progress the two sides are making. We saw a similar situation with Ezekiel Elliott prior to last season, and Dallas eventually gave him a monster contract. The result will likely be the same for Prescott.
