Jerry Jones on Dak Prescott Signing Tender: 'It's Not in a List of Priorities'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday he's not concerned about when quarterback Dak Prescott will sign the one-year contract associated with the franchise tag.

Jones explained the Cowboys' focus is the 2020 NFL draft, which begins Thursday night, and that nothing about the process with the team's franchise QB is a surprise at this stage.

"It's not in a list of priorities, as you could imagine, with everything that we all are dealing with, as well as what we're doing with the draft," he told reporters. "So I don't have a time frame, but I'm not concerned about that at all as to any of those issues. And again, no surprises here; no surprises on the amount that the franchise counts against the [cap]; no surprise that we're sitting here, relative to where we are, without a long-term agreement."

Prescott will make $31.4 million if he signs the franchise tender, per Spotrac. Dallas has until July 15 to sign him to a long-term contract extension or he can only play under the one-year deal.

The 26-year-old Mississippi State product said in January he wasn't sure about his level of offseason participation if the team opted for the tag.

"We'll get to that when we get to that," Prescott told reporters. "I look forward to talking to my agents and when that [tag] comes to play, the direction that we'll go. Until that's a reality, I won't worry about it. But I do feel like some of this should get done. I'm a little disappointed that it hasn't, but that's part of it."

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported last week Prescott won't take part in the team's virtual OTAs without a new contract in place.

Prescott is coming off a strong 2019 season and does hold some leverage amid the contract standoff. He completed 65.1 percent of his throws for 4,902 yards with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 16 appearances last year, ranking fourth in ESPN's Total QBR.

The Louisiana native is also the only proven quarterback on the Cowboys roster—Cooper Rush and Clayton Thorson are the backups—at a time when the organization should be contending for championships.

Prescott hasn't said whether he's willing to miss regular-season games over the contract situation, but Dallas may be forced to acquire additional depth via the draft or free agency as a safety net.

The Cowboys are scheduled to have seven picks in this year's draft, including the No. 17 overall selection Thursday night.