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It is officially Wednesday, July 15th and this day has been circled on the Dallas Cowboys calendar for some time. It is in no way hyperbolic to say that this could be one of the most important days for the franchise for the foreseeable future.
Why is that, exactly? 4:00 PM ET today is the deadline for the team to have a long-term contract done with quarterback Dak Prescott since they placed the franchise tag on him earlier this offseason. Without a long-term deal in place by the deadline, Dak must play the upcoming season on the franchise tag. There is no other choice.
We know that Dak has already signed his franchise tender which means that he is, at the very least, under contract for the season. It is valued at $31.4M and if the Cowboys were to tag him again next year then that value would be just under $38M.
Consider this our Dak Prescott thread for the day. We will update it as reports trickle out throughout the day (this is the Dallas Cowboys after all).
Updates throughout Dak Deadline Day
9:32 AM: It is reported that Dallas and Dak’s representation have not spoken since June 22nd.
9:27 AM: Ian Rapoport notes that the percentage guarantee from the “final offer” that Dallas made to Dak was lower than Ryan Tannehill’s.
Later Tuesday Night: The two sides had “no plans to meet”.
Tuesday Night: Late Tuesday night the Cowboys’ “final offer” was reported.
Last updated at 10:10am ET.
The latest headlines entering Deadline Day
July 14th: For the first time recently it is reported that Dak and the Cowboys are in communication regarding a potential deal.
July 14th: A look back at how the Dez Bryant deal came together in 2015 on deadline day provides some level of potential clarity.
July 14th: One NFL agent says not getting a deal done would be “a big miss” for Dallas.
July 13th: “Not a lot of optimism” that a deal will get done.
July 12th: The Cowboys are willing to have Dak Prescott play on the tag “if necessary”.