Should the Cowboys give Dalton Schultz a long-term extension?

With voluntary OTAs underway for the Dallas Cowboys, tight end Dalton Schultz has told the team he is unhappy with his contract situation. He has even decided to sit out the rest of OTAs as a statement about playing on the franchise tag. Schultz is currently locked into a franchise tender that will pay him nearly $11 million this season.

So what should the Cowboys do with Schultz? Do they try to get a long-term deal done by the July 15th deadline? Or, should they make the former fourth-round pick play on the franchise tag this year and then let him enter free agency in 2023? I think the latter option will be the best bet for the Cowboys.

While Schultz has turned himself into a good player, and he deserves to get paid, I just do not think the Cowboys should be the ones to do it. Over the past two seasons, the Stanford alumni averaged 71 catches for 712 yards. In 2021, he finished third in receptions and fifth in yards amongst tight ends. He will be looking to be a top-five paid player at his position.

With the current look at the Cowboys roster, I do not think they should spend top-five money on a tight end. Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb are available for contract extensions next year and then Micah Parsons the year after that. The Cowboys have to re-sign those three players and money will start to tighten up if they give Schultz a long-term deal as well.

Also, Dallas has found success in drafting mid-round tight ends. They recently drafted Jake Ferguson in the fourth round who is similar to Schultz in terms of build and play style. With no Schultz in OTAs and possibly more throughout the offseason, Ferguson should get plenty of reps with the first-team offense.

Why the Dallas Cowboys should NOT sign Dalton Schultz to a long-term contract

The contract I would assume Schultz is looking for would pay him around $13 million per season. That is similar to what David Njoku is getting paid by the Cleveland Browns and Schultz has outperformed him the past two years. However, the Cowboys’ front office has been known to nickel and dime their players, so I expect them to play hardball with Schultz.

The one factor Schultz has going for him is that he and Dak Prescott have great chemistry together. Prescott even supported Schultz in his search for a new contract.

The support from Prescott could give Schultz some leverage in contract talks as the Cowboys already traded away Amari Cooper this offseason and an unhappy Schultz will hurt the offense in 2022.

It will be a big storyline throughout the offseason to see what the Cowboys do with Schultz. He may be the newest Cowboy to hold out into training camp, but if I were Jerry Jones, Schultz would play this year on the franchise tag, and then they should let him hit free agency in 2023. It’s the best decision for the long-term future of the team.