🏈 What’s Next For Dak Prescott After No Deal?

Dak Prescott’s deal-or-no-deal saga continues after the QB and the Cowboys were unable to reach a long-term agreement. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: After Dak Prescott and the Cowboys failed to reach a long-term deal, could the QB’s time in Dallas be coming to an end? ... we take a look at Ja Morant’s impact on the NBA, which goes way beyond the court ... and Bryson DeChambeau hits a jaw-dropping drive to kick off the 2020 Memorial Tournament. As the National Football League’s main summer deadline passed on Wednesday, there were 12 players who found themselves locked in on the franchise tag - and precisely one whom everyone was talking about. Dak Prescott’s deal-or-no-deal saga has rolled on for 18 months now, and after ultimate proof that there is no true consensus of his worth between the team and the player, there is a lot to unpack. One certainty we now know is that Prescott is willing to back himself to the hilt. Another is that by doing so, he could land himself a stratospheric paycheck down the road, if things go smoothly. And the last, inevitably, is about how much longer he has in Dallas, with a future divorce now looking highly likely, if not inevitable. “I’m a Cowboy and couldn’t be happier,” [Prescott told USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein]( on Wednesday night. “I look forward to working (alongside) coach (Mike) McCarthy, the staff, and my teammates to be the best team we can be in pursuit to our goal of a Super Bowl.” [STORY IMAGE 1] That’s for now and the words are both admirable and appropriate. Prescott will, after all, make $31.4 million under the franchise tag, a steep rise from the $4 million combined that he made in his first four seasons. He’s not going to be poor, he’s no longer going to be significantly underpaid, and he will indeed be doing all he can to make the Cowboys shine. However, having seen teammates like Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and several offensive linemen get paid at the top end of the current market rate, there is surely some lingering dissatisfaction that a new contract couldn’t get over the line. He’s not going to say as much, but his brother Tad did, on Twitter. “There is a reason I was never a Dallas Cowboys fan growing up or before they drafted Dak,” [Tad Prescott wrote](. “After today, who knows how much longer I’ll be cheering for them.” According to the NFL Network, Prescott and his agent Todd France turned down a four-year extension worth at least $33 million per season and including $100 million in guarantees. After Patrick Mahomes locked in a blockbuster deal, Prescott wanted to be paid in excess of the Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers deals that were struck two years ago, and push himself past the $35 million mark. [STORY IMAGE 2] That didn’t happen, and now Dallas might have missed their chance. Having gambled last year, and doing so again now, Prescott may have so much to gain from betting on himself next year that there is no amount of money that could snare him long-term. “I believe that’s going to end up with Dak Prescott playing for a different team in 2022,” [FOX Sports’ Nick Wright told Colin Cowherd on The Herd](. “He’s now rolling the dice again. What makes sense to me is that he would do it one more time and position himself to be the most sought after free agent in NFL history. “He will be 28 years old and a true free-and-clear free agent. It’s going to be a full-blown auction. He is going to end up becoming the richest player in NFL history.” Here is how most NFL theorists now lean towards this playing out. Prescott plays on the franchise tag this season, then contract talks again get nowhere after the 2020 campaign. At that point, the following year’s franchise tag of around $37 million would be a figure the Cowboys could live with and Prescott would play it out, before diving headlong into the free agent market. [STORY IMAGE 3] Talk of Prescott leaving Dallas is now everywhere. Cowboys fans, flushed with optimism prior to the deadline, struck a gloomier tone once it expired. “I'm still holding out hope that they are feverishly negotiating as we speak,” [FOX Sports' Skip Bayless said on Undisputed]( as time ticked by on Wednesday. Not so, apparently, or not feverishly enough. “There is plenty of blame to go around for the impasse, but know this: This could be the beginning of a slow road to a divorce between the Cowboys and Prescott,” [wrote ESPN.com’s Todd Archer](. [STORY IMAGE 4] Blame is a strange word to use in all of this. It is hard to blame the Cowboys for refusing to budge from their optimal value on a player. If there is blame to be meted out there, it needs to come later, if Prescott has shown that his top price now would actually have been a bargain. Blaming Prescott for not signing is a non-starter. Since when do we hand out blame for an athlete backing themselves with such sincerity and confidence that they are prepared to leave eye-watering sums on the table? It was a game within a game, but it’s not a blame-game. It was a drawn out game, a fascinating one, and - truth be told - occasionally felt like a never-ending one. It’s not over yet, but the seeds for a parting of ways have now been set and it is going to take a lot to knock that journey off course. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Bill Barnwell, ESPN: “This decision doesn't impact solely the 26-year-old and his employers. The Prescott news, in fact, affects teams and players around the league both now and in the offseason to come ... NFL contracts are about leverage, and when players can get multiple teams to negotiate against one another in free agency, it produces a bigger contract than what those same guys would get when they're able to negotiate with only one team.” Kevin Patra, NFL.com: “Turning just 27 later this month, barring a Joe Theismann-type injury, Prescott is actually now in a position to milk more money out of his situation in the next few years. Top-10 QBs don't come close to hitting the open market. Prescott has a path to get there if he so chooses.” Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports: “Late August in 2019 is when Dallas should have pinned its hopes to a four-year tack-on deal with numbers that would have matched the four-year, $140 million extension the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson signed ... this is where the impasse started. And it was only going to be broken by someone surrendering something of significant value. Dallas wanted a discount and control. Prescott wasn’t giving up both. Eventually, the math was the only language that mattered — and Dallas let that math get way outside of its comfort zone.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Memphis Grizzlies rookie standout Ja Morant has taken the NBA by storm. [Bleacher Report’s Mirin Fader explains]( how Morant’s impact has been instantaneous — and goes way beyond the court. - The SEC has already lost two Power 5 games with the Pac-12’s decision to hold a conference-only season. [Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated]( take us inside SEC meetings and their fight to preserve marquee non-conference games and rivalry clashes. - Tierna Davidson is the youngest member of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team. [Nancy Armour of USA Today writes]( how the 21-year old rising star is changing the game of soccer. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( We featured Bryson DeChambeau in Wednesday’s “Bet of the Day” portion of our newsletter. Well, it looks like golf’s beefed-up superstar is going to be highlighted yet again, this time for a jaw-dropping drive he hit in the opening round of the Memorial Tournament. Check out this video as DeChambeau crushes a 423-yard drive on No. 1, which found the fairway. And now for the best part of the video ... he has to ask his caddie where the ball actually went, given he hit it so far. Keep it coming, Bryson! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] MLS is Back Tournament: Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC (FS1, 8 p.m. ET) Toronto FC looks to bounce back against their Canadian rivals in group stage action. MLS is Back Tournament: Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls (FS1, 10:30 p.m. ET) A spot in the knockout round is on the line when the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew take the field. PGA Tour Golf: Memorial Tournament (Friday, Golf Channel, 2:30 p.m. ET) Second-round play of the 2020 Memorial Tournament takes place from Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Most regular season wins in the 2020 NFL season Kansas City Chiefs: +425 Baltimore Ravens: +650 New Orleans Saints: +800 San Francisco 49ers: +900 We are less than two months away from the start of the 2020 NFL season, so let’s take a look at who we expect to rack up some wins. It’s not surprising to see the Chiefs listed with the best odds, but you might want to take a look at the Ravens at +650. [Our Colin Cowherd recently said]( that he thinks “we’re potentially looking at a 16-0 team” when talking about Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. For longer shots, the Tampa Bay Bucs and their high-powered offense at 16-to-1 could certainly be an enticing play. A new FOX Sports app and website is coming. [Click here]( to be notified when the reimagined app is available. 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