For months and months there has been speculation surrounding Dak Prescott's long-term future with the Cowboys despite any definitive steps taken to resolve the issue in the Dallas front office. If there was ever the right time for Jerry Jones to open up the checkbook for his quarterback, though, it might be now.
That's because, according to what sources told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Dak Prescott is threatening to hold out of the Cowboys' virtual offseason program without a long-term deal. That's right: if Ezekiel Elliott's holdout in Cabo wasn't enough of a story line for you, then perhaps the possibility of Dak Prescott's quarantine holdout will be.
The soon to be 27-year-old quarterback was given the exclusive franchise tag back in March of this year, rendering him unable to negotiate with other teams and granting the Cowboys exclusive rights to his contract. However, as Florio notes, Prescott has not yet accepted the tag, meaning "he's not currently employed by the Cowboys." Based on this fact alone, it seems reasonable that Prescott shouldn't need to abide by the team's offseason schedule. Florio also says that the program is voluntary.
Despite this report, Cowboys COO and Executive Vice President Stephen Jones said that he hadn't heard of these holdout threats in his appearance Tuesday on the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan.
"I"m not necessarily aware of that," Jones said. "He was sent an iPad and I know he certainly can participate. For every player, it's voluntary. But I'm not aware and haven't been made aware of to what degree Dak's participation level will be."
However, it's not the most encouraging sign for two sides that just could not come to an agreement regarding a contract throughout the entirety of the 2019 season and are apparently still experiencing conflicts of interest.
Prescott has been in the news primarily for a different reason as of late, as he has been seen working out at a public facility with Dez Bryant and at a relatively large dinner party with Ezekiel Elliott despite stay-at-home mandates during the coronavirus pandemic. His contract issues add another component to what has been a tumultuous offseason for the quarterback.
Should the Cowboys get a deal done soon, the fan base should rest easy. The two parties have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal before the tag sticks for the season according to the current CBA. If a deal isn't made before then, however, and Prescott does decide to hold out of his stay-at-home program, what's to say he won't hold out once in-person football activity starts back up again?
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