Dak Prescott Will Reportedly Not Accept A Contract Longer Than Four Years
Dak Prescott won’t sign a contract offer from the Dallas Cowboys longer than four years. A Twitter post from ESPN‘s Ed Werder claims anything longer than that is a “non-starter” for the quarterback. Werder added rumors of new offers are false. The reporter said the two sides haven’t talked for more than a month.
He said Prescott and the Cowboys aren’t that far apart when it comes to money. Both camps are talking about the contract being around $35 million per year. That’s not much more than what Prescott is slated to make – just over $31 million – this season. That amount is covered under the franchise tag the Cowboys placed on him at the start of the offseason. Werder said his source claims both sides are within striking distance of working out a contract on the dollars, but the length is something Prescott isn’t budging on.
Adam Wells of Bleacher Report recently pointed out the Cowboys often try and give their players longer extensions. Demarcus Lawrence, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Jaylon Smith, and La’El Collins all signed contracts for five years or longer since 2014. Wells also pointed out starting quarterbacks in the NFL have taken to wanting shorter contracts, especially recently.
Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, and Jared Goff all signed four-year extensions with their respective teams. It appears Prescott wants to mirror those deals rather than those of his teammates.
Earlier this spring reports surfaced that Prescott wanted a shorter contract so he could be a free agent while he was still in his prime. If he were signed to a four-year extension this summer, he’d be 30 in 2024, when he might be able to test the open waters.
Wells points out there is another factor in the contract negotiations. The NFL is working on a new agreement with various television networks and it’s expected the league will get a bigger cut of money. If that comes to pass, salary caps could go quite a bit higher as soon as 2022. The idea for the Cowboys then, could be an extension that would be back-loaded, meaning the annual dollars would be higher closer to the end of the contract.
Such a deal fits with something The Inquisitr reported earlier this week. Rumors sparked up that the Cowboys had made an offer to Prescott that would have made him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. The offer was for five years and $175 million and it would have seen him earn $45 million in the final year of the contract. It’s not clear if that offer was ever actually made, or turned down. Werder believes there have been no substantive talks since early April.
