Cowboys: Safety that shares agent with Dak Prescott gets franchise tag
The 2021 NFL free agent period is set to open on March 17th. Many players will be looking for new deals, while others will be placed on the franchise tag. That is a storyline worth following when discussing Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. On Friday, the first franchise tag of the 2021 offseason was […]
The 2021 NFL free agent period is set to open on March 17th. Many players will be looking for new deals, while others will be placed on the franchise tag. That is a storyline worth following when discussing Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.
On Friday, the first franchise tag of the 2021 offseason was handed out. NFL insider Benjamin Allbright reported that the Denver Broncos have placed the tag on safety Justin Simmons for the second consecutive offseason.
Simmons is regarded as one of the best safeties in all of football. Pro Football Focus ranked the 2016 third-rounder as the sixth best free agent in the 2021 class. There was some — albeit, unrealistic — hope that he would be an option for the Cowboys with the needs in the secondary.
Denver made sure that their prized defender would not hit the open market. The Broncos tagged Simmons last year and were not able to work out a deal. The hope in Denver is that the franchise tag is being used to allow the Broncos more time to negotiate this time around.
Justin Simmons shares the same agent as Dak Prescott.
Why is this significant news? Well, other than the fact that a potential safety target is officially off of the board, Simmons shares an agent with Dak Prescott. The Broncos safety and the Cowboys quarterback are both represented by Todd France.
It may just be a bit of coincidence that both Simmons and Prescott were placed on the franchise tag last offseason, and it appears that both are headed that way again this year. Both have severely outperformed their draft status and are seeking top-dollar deals.
France clearly wants his clients to earn as much money as possible — which makes total sense. A football player's career is not very long on average, so the players certainly deserve to cash-in when they get the opportunity.
Simmons signed the non-exclusive tag with the Broncos. That will allow the All-Pro defensive back to be eligible to negotiate with other teams while Denver attempts to work out a deal.
Dak Prescott became just the third quarterback ever to play a game on the franchise tag last season. Things are trending in a way that would make Prescott just the second quarterback to play two seasons on the tag.
Todd France has two clients that could be placed on the franchise tag two years in a row. It remains to be seen if either Simmons or Prescott will sign long-term deals with their respective franchises this offseason.
Featured image via Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
