Kirk Cousins has been hit with the franchise tag twice in his career, so he knows how to navigate it pretty well. Dak Prescott is potentially about to do it for the first time, and Cousins wants him to know it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
“Anybody who I run into who’s been franchise tagged, we have one on our team this year in Anthony Harris, I believe the franchise tag can be your friend,” Cousins said on ESPN this week, via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk. “I don’t think it’s something to be disappointed with. I think it enables you to be well compensated, and deservedly so, for the upcoming season. Then, I always say the cream will rise to the top. If you’re good enough, the cream’s going to rise to the top, and you’re going to get compensated the way you want to. Sometimes it doesn’t happen as quickly as you would like, but if you deserve it, and you’ve earned it, it’s going to happen. So you’ve just got to stay the course and stay patient. Certainly in my journey, it all worked out. I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.”
Most players dislike the franchise tag. It removes their leverage and gives them no long-term security, though it does pay well. Prescott may end up playing under it, but there doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of concern about his future.
Prescott is still trying to negotiate a long-term deal with the Cowboys, but things haven’t really gotten anywhere. He may end up being the latest quarterback to play out a year on the franchise tag.
