FRISCO, Texas – It was expected, but now it's official.
Dak Prescott signed his franchise tender on Monday afternoon, putting him under contract for at least the duration of the 2020 season.
The Cowboys' fifth-year quarterback was tagged all the way back in March, but he had held off singing the one-year tender in an effort to secure a long-term extension. Per NFL rules, the Cowboys and Prescott still have until July 15 to sort out an extension, but signing the tag guarantees Prescott the $31.4 million salary that comes with it.
The flip side of that is obviously that Prescott is back under team control – making him subject to all the fines and discipline that would accompany a holdout. The two-time Pro Bowler intimated that he wouldn't participate in the voluntary offseason program without a new deal. But signing his tender would seem to nullify the idea that he would sit out of training camp – whenever it happens to start.
Instead, Prescott is poised to play the 2020 season on this one-year, $31.4 million salary, unless the two sides can come to a multi-year agreement by the afternoon of July 15 – just 23 days from now. This contract saga has been ongoing since last summer, and the evidence suggests there's still a lot of ground to cover. But, as members of the Cowboys' front office have often said, deadlines have a way of making deals.
Regardless of whether he gets that extension, Prescott's decision to sign the tender assures him of a massive pay day – and it assures the Cowboys they'll have their Pro Bowl signal-caller in place during Mike McCarthy's first season as head coach.
