Cowboys: Kirk Cousins’ agent spoke on Dak Prescott’s contract approach
When discussing the Dallas Cowboys, it is hard to not talk about Dak Prescott and the ongoing contract situation. Prescott has established himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in all of football since taking over as the Cowboys' starter. Still, the 2016 fourth-round draft pick is still waiting for Dallas to reward him with […]
When discussing the Dallas Cowboys, it is hard to not talk about Dak Prescott and the ongoing contract situation.
Prescott has established himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in all of football since taking over as the Cowboys' starter. Still, the 2016 fourth-round draft pick is still waiting for Dallas to reward him with a contract extension.
The Cowboys and Prescott and failed to reach an agreement on a contract last offseason, and Dallas placed the franchise tag on him. He became one of just three quarterbacks to play a season on the tag, joining Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins.
Brees and Cousins would both go on to play for a different franchise — Brees with the New Orleans Saints, Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings. That is not a great sign for the Dallas Cowboys.
Cousins was the rare player to play two seasons on the franchise tag. He betted on himself while playing for Washington, and the Vikings paid him three-year contract worth $84 million.
That was the biggest contract in NFL history at the time. Safe to say that playing on the tag was worth it for Cousins.
Cousins has offered Dak advice in the past.
The Vikings quarterback has offered words of encouragement to Dak Prescott in the past. He has told the current Dallas Cowboys quarterback that the franchise tag "can be your friend".
“Well, the only piece I’ve said to him in crossing his path by going back maybe a couple of offseasons was just to make the point that the franchise tag can be your friend; it can be a help to you if that’s the route you choose to go,” Cousins said.
“So, he played on the franchise tag this past year. I think he’s in a great spot now. Everybody knows he can play, and he’s an elite quarterback. Really, the ball is more in the court of the Cowboys and what they want to do going forward. But I think it’s a no-brainer that Dak’s the real deal and is going to have a great career moving forward. He’s in a really good spot.”
Cousins found out first hand that a big pay day could be right down the road, despite the frustrations that come with playing on the tag.
His agent, Mike McCartney, helped Cousins become the richest player in the sport just a few years ago. McCartney recently spoke to ESPN's Ed Werder about his experience representing Cousins and how Prescott is approaching potentially playing on the tag again.
McCartney points out that Prescott is just 16 games away from being on the free agent market. A quarterback has never played three seasons on the tag, largely due to the high cap number.
That means that this time next season — assuming that Prescott and the Cowboys do not come to terms to a contract extension — Prescott will be free for any team to offer a contract to.
Prescott would easily be the best signal caller to hit the market in recent history. Nearly every team in the league would be interested in making him their quarterback.
It is hard to imagine anybody coming close to Patrick Mahomes' 10-year, half-billion contract. That said, Prescott would certainly become one of the most highly paid players to ever touch a football.
The security that comes with a contract extension is certainly beneficial. Yet, being just one season away from signing a massive deal is pretty attractive in its own right.
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
