Report: Dak Prescott to sign tender; Long-term deal nears?

With Dak Prescott planning to sign his tender, is a long-term deal one step closer?

Every offseason, there always seems to be one lingering storyline that constantly swirls around the Dallas Cowboys. Two years ago it was the fate of wide receiver Dez Bryant. In 2019, the holdout of running back Ezekiel Elliott. This year, it’s been all about Dak Prescott.

Last year, the Cowboys brass missed an opportunity to lock up their franchise quarterback on a long-term deal. Instead, they allowed Prescott to play out the final year of his rookie contract. And the 2016 fourth-rounder didn’t disappoint, putting up career numbers in both passing yardage (4,902) and touchdowns (30).

Unfortunately, the team didn’t share that same success, posting an 8-8 season-ending record without a playoff berth. And Prescott had his share of the blame for the team losing a chance at the NFC East crown.

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In a pivotal matchup in Week 16 against their divisional foes, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys highly-touted offense was only able to score nine points. Prescott completed just 25 of his  44 passes for 265 yards and no touchdowns.

The Eagles ended up winning the game and the division with a 9-7 record. Despite the poor outcome, the Cowboys’ offense was able to lead the NFL in total yardage (6,904) with Prescott and first-year offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, running the show.

Dak Prescott and Dallas Cowboys still hashing out a long-term deal

With Prescott slated to become an unrestricted free agent this March, the Cowboys elected to use their exclusive franchise tag on the 26-year old passer. That means Dallas would retain Dak for another season at the cost of $31.4 million. In the meantime, the two sides would have until July 15th to work out a new long-term deal.

And while things have been quiet on the contract front ever since, talks figured to heat up as the July deadline approached. On Sunday, it was reported first by ESPN that Prescott intends to sign his franchise tender by Monday.

This isn’t an unexpected move as both the team and Prescott’s representatives still have until July 15th to hash out a long-term contract extension. But it will likely end any threat of Dak potentially holding out during training camp or beyond. According to NFL.com, by inking the tender, Prescott is obligated to report to training camp on time and cannot hold out.

Could the signing of the franchise tag tender by Dak Prescott nearly four weeks prior to the July 15th deadline be a sign that contract negotiations are heading in a positive direction? Possibly. Regardless, it’s a sign that the Dallas Cowboys should have their franchise quarterback in attendance whenever training camp begins.