It’s more apparent now than ever that quarterback Dak Prescott is seeking a massive deal from the Dallas Cowboys, but contract rumors continue to swirl amid negotiations.
According to an initial report, Prescott was offered a five-year, $175 million contract from the Cowboys, which would make him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history -- but the two-time Pro Bowler was reportedly seeking more than $45 million per year to play for the Cowboys.
DAK PRESCOTT OFFERED FIVE-YEAR, $175 MILLION DEAL FROM COWBOYS, NFL INSIDER SAYS
NBC Sports’ Chris Simms said in an interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Wednesday that Prescott wants a four-year deal, and if they end up agreeing on a five-year contract, “they would like a really big number at the end of that fifth year to cover their butts for what the market might be at the position five years from now.”
DAK PRESCOTT CALLS BEING WITH COWBOYS A 'BLESSING,' SAYS HE'S NOT FOCUSED ON PLAYING ANYWHERE ELSE
ESPN followed by reporting Thursday that “there have been no discussions on other scenarios other than the Cowboys wanting a longer deal and Prescott wanting a shorter deal.” And finally, NFL Network followed that up by saying the Cowboys and Prescott’s agent said the initial report by Simms is “definitely not true.” Per NFL Network, “the two sides have never discussed such scenarios or anything like it.”
Prescott wants a shorter deal and the Cowboys want a longer one, NFL Network reported.
DALLAS COWBOYS PLACE EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TAG ON QUARTERBACK DAK PRESCOTT
In March, the Dallas Cowboys placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott days before the NFL’s new league year began, when he would have become a free agent. An exclusive franchise tag means that a particular player must be offered a one-year contract worth no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. The exclusive tag also prevents another team from negotiating with Prescott.
The exclusive franchise tag for Prescott is worth around $33 million. A non-exclusive tag carried a $28 million price tag. Other teams could have signed Prescott to an offer sheet if they gave him the non-exclusive tag.
In April, sources told ESPN that Prescott didn’t plan on participating in the Cowboys’ offseason program until both sides agree to a long-term contract. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t seem too concerned about reaching a deal at the time, and he was unsure whether or not Prescott was going to sign his franchise tender.
"It's not in a list of priorities, as you could imagine, with everything that we all are dealing with, as well as what we're doing with the draft," Jones said at the time, according to ESPN. “So I don't have a time frame, but I'm not concerned about that at all as to any of those issues. And again, no surprises here; no surprises on the amount that the franchise counts against the [cap]; no surprise that we're sitting here, relative to where we are, without a long-term agreement.”
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It’s still unclear whether the Cowboys and Prescott will get a deal hammered out. Dallas has already given contract extensions to Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith, La’el Collins, DeMarcus Lawrence and Amari Cooper since April 2019. The team also recently signed defensive end Aldon Smith to a one-year contract, and they brought in quarterback Andy Dalton as Prescott’s backup or in the event that Prescott sits out or gets injured.
The deadline for both parties to sign a long-term deal is July 15.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.