Is Dak Prescott taking the Kirk Cousins approach?

As more days pass, more speculation grows around Dak Prescott. Can the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback take a similar approach to another well-paid passer?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, is set to play under the franchise tag for the 2020 season. As days pass, everyone is wondering what is preventing the two parties from coming to terms with a new contract.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback. Kirk Cousins was in a similar situation only a couple of seasons ago. Will Prescott take a similar approach to Cousins regarding the franchise tag and his contract?

It was the summer of 2016 that saw Cousins in the same spot that Prescott is in right now. While the first four seasons for Dak were very different than those of Cousins, they both needed a long term deal but were given a franchise tag.

Cousins was given the transition tag for the 2016 season and later was given the exclusive tag for the 2017 season. Rather than holding out during the season, Cousins opted to play out the franchise tags and force the Washington Redskins to make a decision.

This led to the Vikings signing him to a contract for three years worth $84 million in 2018. At the time, many people heavily criticized the signing, but then again he did earn it playing through two franchise tags.

The Cowboys placed the exclusive tag on Prescott as they continue negotiations to extend their franchise quarterback. Who other than Cousins would be a great person to get some insight from?

Cousins was on ESPN and had this to say about those that are franchise tagged.

"“I believe the franchise tag can be your friend … If you’re good enough, the cream will rise to the top and you will get compensated the way that you want to.”"

With that in mind, will Prescott play with the franchise tag or hold out? It’s important to note that Cousins only became the starter in his fourth season, while Dak already made two Pro Bowls and had two playoff appearances.

The signing of quarterback Andy Dalton does put some pressure on Prescott. With Dalton waiting in the passenger seat, he would become the starter if Dak holds out.

The same way Dak got his starting job, he can lose it. Dalton had decent success with the Cincinnati Bengals, so we know he can put together wins. It also helps when you have the supporting cast that Dallas does.

If a deal is not reached come the start of the season, I would expect Prescott to play out the season. While I am sure he wants his money and some security, he seems like such a great team player.

Spending time watching Dalton as the starter could either be very good or very bad for him. If Dalton does not play well, Prescott’s value goes up. If Dalton does play well, then Dak’s value goes down and with a great season, Dalton can steal the job.

There is a lot at risk if Prescott chooses to hold out. The safer route appears to be to play out the season and hope he isn’t franchise tagged next season.

I want to make sure that owner Jerry Jones does not get on Prescott’s nerves throughout this process. Much like the Redskins lost Cousins, the Cowboys can lose Dak.

My perfect scenario out of this is that Dak plays through the franchise tag, and Jerry signs Dak for at least four years. By this time, the new TV deal should kick in, raising the salary cap giving the Cowboys more room to pay Dak.

From Dak Prescott’s perspective, should he play out the franchise tag? Will we see Dak get franchise tagged twice as we saw Kirk Cousins did? Let me know your thought in the comments section below.