💵 Will Dak Prescott Get What He Wants?

The financial standoff between Dak and the Cowboys is approaching its first significant deadline. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: NFL contracts can be extremely complex, which makes the current financial standoff between Dak Prescott and the Cowboys much more complicated than it looks ... we take a look at how LeBron James and “The Decision” still leaves a mark for those teams that missed out ... and the LSU Tigers give us a glimpse at their incredible championship rings. The National Football League’s never-ending contract story might actually come to a conclusion next week, or at least be put on the back burner for a while so that we can talk about something else. After a year and three months and a number of false starts and near misses, the financial standoff between Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys is approaching its first significant deadline. On July 15, if Prescott and the team have not come to terms – amiably or otherwise – on a long-term solution, he will play out next season under the franchise tag, and the whole dance will be put on pause until 2021. The drawn-out tale has lasted for long enough that the latest dramatic wrinkle, that of Patrick Mahomes landing a $503 million, 10-year blockbuster extension with the Kansas City Chiefs, is only a small chapter of the narrative. [STORY IMAGE 1] Yet the Mahomes money is part of it, if only because negotiations between Prescott’s agent Todd France and Dallas owner Jerry Jones have become such a fierce arm-wrestle that each side will take whatever leverage it can get. “Jerry Jones does believe in Dak Prescott as a long-term answer for his team,” [FOX Sports’ Skip Bayless told Undisputed](. “He just doesn’t think he is Patrick Mahomes. Does anybody out there in viewer-land think Dak Prescott is Patrick Mahomes right now? Can anybody in good conscience make the case that he is better than or equal to, that guy?” Here is the part where the numbers get bamboozling, not just because of the fact that they contain enough zeroes to make the eyes water, but because NFL contracts are complex devices that are about much more than simply how much cash ends up in said player’s bank account. Prescott wants to feel he is being treated like, and being paid like, one of the top quarterbacks in football. The Cowboys are willing to do that, but there are sticking points over length and guaranteed money and the per year average and pretty much everything else you can think of. The problem is that both sides have valid points to make, and while France’s job is to get the best deal for his client, Jones’ is to try to keep enough salary cap space for the Cowboys to be contenders. [STORY IMAGE 2] The Cowboys want a five-year contract, reasoning that given how difficult this agreement has been to make, they don’t want to be in a rush to go back to the negotiating table any time soon. Prescott wants four, to hit the open market sooner and capitalize in what may be a spike in television money during the intervening period. That’s where he diverges from Mahomes, who was happy to commit for 10 years extra and 12 total – the sort of span that is generally seen as being team-friendly. Half a billion, presumably, helped Mahomes feel better about making that concession. “The good news for Jerry Jones is Jerry loves long term,” Bayless added. “All of a sudden Jerry can turn to Dak and the agent and say ‘hey look what he did. Would you like to go seven, would you like to go eight?’” The Mahomes contract, despite its longevity, has additional relevance to both sides. Mahomes had two existing years remaining, so France will look at the new money portion, which is equivalent to $45 million per year, and try to use it as a barometer. [STORY IMAGE 3] You can equally be sure that Jones will look at the contract’s overall value, specifically the first five years of new money at $39.55 million each, and position that Prescott is well behind the Super Bowl champion by any meaningful criteria, which includes their respective playoff records. Furthermore, the Cowboys will have Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers’ $35 million a year deals in their arsenal. France might be able to push Prescott up to something approaching $38 million a season, but it will be tough. Prescott had a fine year, yet the Cowboys could not get to the promised land or anything remotely near it, going on a grim mid-campaign losing streak that ultimately doomed coach Jason Garrett. “When we’re ready to play, he’ll be there,” Jones told ESPN, back in April. For sure, but under what terms? Forget about headlines screaming that Mahomes’ deal is fantastic news for Prescott and a miserable development for the Cowboys. It is much more nuanced than that. [STORY IMAGE 4] However, one thing unrelated to Mahomes that may push Jones up a bit is that next year’s franchise fee would be $38 million, then an unworkable $54 million after that. If France gets Prescott above Wilson and Rodgers, and higher than the $110 million of guaranteed money that Jared Goff secured, he’ll have done a decent job. But maybe neither party have expectations that are close enough, or realistic enough, for this thing to happen now. “Sports contracts are like real estate comps,” [Kevin Sherrington wrote in the Dallas Morning News](. “Meaning Dak’s price just went up, too. Before Monday’s announcement, I’d have guessed the top end of Dak’s market at $35 million. Now that number looks like the starting point.” It has all dragged on for so long that you itch for a resolution. And for Prescott, who played last season for $2.1 million, to finally get paid in measure with his talents. But the mischievous side of us enjoys this to-and-fro, an ultimate test tube of what exactly player power means in 2020. It is strong enough that a really good, but not yet great quarterback, can stand up to one of the most famed franchises in the NFL and get what he wants? Time will tell – and there’s not much time left. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Patrik Walker CBS Sports: “Time will tell how it all shakes out, but the fact Mahomes landed his deal first may not be a bad thing at all. In the end, it might be a blessing in disguise for all involved with contract talks in Dallas, because it now gives Prescott and the Cowboys their final parameters seeing as, thanks to Mahomes, none of this is a guessing game anymore.” Shannon Sharpe, Undisputed: “It’s going to have an adverse effect for the simple fact that Jerry (Jones) didn’t get the deal done early ... Dak really has Jerry on the barrel right now, because guess what’s coming down the pipeline? You’ve got Deshaun Watson coming, and you better not let Lamar Jackson have another year like he had. Jerry thought the price was going to stop at $35 million. That thing is about to go to the average price for an NFL quarterback, which is about to be $40 million.” Mike Florio, Profootballtalk.com: “While the Cowboys may be tempted to copy the Mahomes contract verbatim and extend it to Prescott, Prescott would be crazy to accept it. Which underscores the tremendous amount of leverage that Prescott has, thanks to the fact that the Cowboys didn’t sign him to a long-term deal in 2019 and did apply the highest level of the franchise tag to Prescott in early 2020. Which brings it back to the original point. To get a long-term deal in place, the Cowboys have to offer Prescott something that he regards as better than his current status. His current status, especially in comparison to the greatest . . . deal . . . ever!, is incredibly strong.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - It’s been 10 years since LeBron James made the decision to “take his talents” to South Beach. [Ric Bucher]( pens an outstanding piece for Bleacher Report, detailing how James’ decision still leaves a mark for the teams that lost out. - The college football world is very familiar with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and his star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. [ESPN staff writer David Hale]( takes a look at college football’s top quarterback-coach combos. - Marcus Smart was one of several NBA players who tested positive for COVID-19 back in March. [Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe]( details how the Celtics’ guard is giving what he can to help others fight the pandemic. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Following an unforgettable 2019-20 season, the LSU Tigers now have some serious bling to show off. Myles Brennan, who is the projected starting quarterback for the Tigers this upcoming season, shared an incredible photo on his Twitter handle, displaying three championship rings - one from the SEC championship, one from winning the Peach Bowl, and of course, one for the national championship. The Tigers’ official football account, [@LSUFootball]( also shared a video showing off the team’s championship rings with the caption “Rings Fit For The Best Ever.” There is no doubt, this LSU team will go down as one of the most dominant college football teams of all time. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] WWE NXT: Great American Bash, Part 2 (USA, 8 p.m. ET) WWE NXT Great American Bash looks to conclude with a bang as NXT Champion Adam Cole goes up against North American Champion Keith Lee in a Winner Take All Match. MLS is Back Tournament: Orlando City FC vs. Inter Miami CF (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET) After a four month hiatus, Major League Soccer returns as Nani and Orlando City FC take on Rodolfo Pizarro and Inter Miami FC. Premier League Soccer: Bournemouth vs. Tottenham (Thursday, NBCSN, 9:55 a.m. ET) Bournemouth will look to end a five-game skid when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Vitality Stadium. Premier League Soccer: Aston Villa vs. Manchester United (Thursday, NBCSN, 12:10 p.m. ET) Manchester United will attempt to take one step closer to a top-four finish when they go up against Aston Villa at Villa Park. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Workday Charity Open Tournament winner Justin Thomas: +1200 Brooks Koepka: +1500 Jon Rahm: +1500 Patrick Cantlay: +1500 Hideki Matsuyama: +1600 The famed Muirfield Village Golf Club plays host to this week’s Workday Charity Open, which features a loaded field. According to our insights, 12-time PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas is a 12-1 favorite to win the tournament, followed closely by Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay, all who rank in the world’s top 10. If you’re looking down the list, you might be intrigued by Jordan Spieth at 50-to-1 odds. Despite recent struggles, Spieth is bound to break out of his slump sooner or later, and with such great odds, this could lead to a nice, little payday. A new FOX Sports app and website is coming. [Click here]( to be notified when the reimagined app is available. 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