Dak Prescott Given Exclusive Franchise Tag by Cowboys Amid Contract Talks

Dak Prescott is the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys for at least one more year.   

Dallas confirmed it placed the exclusive franchise tag on its signal-caller Monday, after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the move. That tag means no other team will be able to sign him while the two sides try to work toward a new contract.

Prescott will make $31.5 million in 2020-21 under the tag, per Spotrac.

This comes after Schefter reported in January the two sides were "heading straight toward a situation in which the team will have to use its franchise tag on the star quarterback."

Still, the lack of a longer extension comes as something of a surprise considering owner Jerry Jones said a contract was "imminent" after Prescott threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns in a season-opening win over the New York Giants, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

It was far from the first time the front office echoed that sentiment, although the contract didn't come during the 2019 season.

Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan in November 2018 following a loss to the Tennessee Titans and said, "Dak (Prescott) is the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, he's young and he's going to get extended."

It was notable Jones made the commitment at the time seeing how the loss dropped the Cowboys to a disappointing 3-5 before a late charge earned them an NFC East crown.

What's more, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said in February 2019 it was "fair" to assume the team wanted to extend Prescott's contract in 2019, per David Helman of the Cowboys' official website.

"You look at a quarterback who's had the success he's had—he's started since day one, he's a fourth-round draft pick," Jones said. "You can imagine, I'm sure what Dak is thinking, too. He's the leader of the football team, as most quarterbacks are. He's done everything the right way, and I think he deserves to have his contract looked at in a very progressive way."

Jerry Jones also talked about the negotiations with Prescott in May 2019, per Rapoport: "I'd generally say going well. These things never have a definitive answer. Because you never know if you've done it until you've done it."

Prescott was on a team-friendly contract prior to this tagging that was scheduled to end following the 2019 season, per Spotrac. He made just more than $2 million in 2019 after earning $630,000 in base salary in 2018, which isn't exactly top-notch starting quarterback money in today's NFL.

Dallas selected Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, and a Tony Romo injury pressed him into a starting role as a rookie. He and fellow first-year playmaker Elliott propelled the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the NFC East crown, and Prescott was named to the Pro Bowl and won Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions while adding 282 yards and six scores on the ground.

The Mississippi State product appeared well on his way to superstardom, although he experienced a dropoff in production in 2017 when the Cowboys went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. He threw for 3,324 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and struggled at times while Elliott was suspended for six games.

Fortunately for Dallas, Prescott bounced back in 2018 and led the Cowboys to an NFC East crown for the second time in his three years. He threw for a career-best 3,885 yards to go with 22 touchdowns and eight picks while adding 305 yards and six scores on the ground.

Even when the team missed the postseason in 2019, he impressed with a career-best 4,902 passing yards and 33 total touchdowns.

Prescott is still just 26 years old and has already demonstrated the ability to lead a team to the postseason multiple times.

Still, Dallas was not ready to commit to him long term and instead opted on the tagging option. That means he will be firmly under the spotlight throughout the season, as a potential long-term deal will likely be riding on his performance.