FRISCO - I believe Dallas Cowboys management, as a result of having gotten none of its top five contract extensions done over the course of the last few months, is now, as we approach Thursday's start of training camp, kicking itself.
But at least Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper aren't planning on kicking back.
My understanding is that while running back Ezekiel Elliott is reportedly considering an at-least symbolic holdout from the opening of camp in Oxnard in contract-seeking protest, two similarly-high-profile offensive teammates are scheduled to be either on that team plane or waiting for the team once it arrives.
Quarterback Prescott and wide receiver Cooper, both also involved in extension talks with the club, have no plans to skip the start of workouts in California. Nor, by the way, do cornerback Byron Jones and linebacker Jaylon Smith, who are also in line for possible extensions.
Ultimately, Elliott's holdout -- if indeed one occurs -- could be short enough; the "30-Day Rule'' almost demands that Elliott show up to work by Aug. 6 (30 days before the star of the NFL season) lest he forfeit an accrued year toward eventually free agency. Additionally, most people who know Elliott see him as a devoted teammate ... and it could be argued that given owner Jerry Jones' long-standing backing of the running back even in the face of behavioral charges against him issued by the NFL, Zeke might feel some loyalty to the paternal boss of the franchise as well. In the case of his reported "holdout vacation,'' one person close to Elliott tells that the "vacation'' idea might be completely separate from the "holdout'' consideration, even though one national media outlet (which has been wrongly predicting Zeke holdout news back when it was about OTAs, then about minicamp, then about ...on and on) has mashed the two concepts into one.
In any event: Each player, of course, is well within his rights to do what is best for him. Prescott (scheduled to make $2 million this year) has expressed confidence that he and the Cowboys will end up on the same page, though it is pretty clear that the page won't be arrived at before camp -- but hopefully before the start of the regular season, when the football bullets start flying and the risks of not having a locked-in financial future increase. Amid speculation that Philadelphia's Carson Wentz getting a new $35 million sets that as a standard for Dak's demands, my understanding is that while the "$35 million APY'' raises the bar, that number isn't necessarily the bar itself. That is to say: There might be a way to satisfy Dak here without having to give him the billing of "highest-paid NFL quarterback.''
For Cooper, he's scheduled to make $13.9 million this year but has every financial reason to play the waiting game, as fellow NFL star receivers Michael Thomas (Saints), A.J. Green (Bengals) and Julio Jones (Falcons) are, like Amari, waiting for someone else to be the next domino ... which could push receivers' deals up to commonly be in the $18 mil APY range.
Dallas congratulated itself for the one big deal it did do this offseason, the prioritized retention of Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. He'll be at camp, though due to surgery rehab, won't see much action. Other stars will be there, too, hoping to see action at the negotiating table, in a way that doesn't see contract talks dragged kicking and screaming into the regular season.
