Report: Dallas Cowboys and Dalton Schultz not expected to reach new deal before Friday’s deadline

It never felt like the Dallas Cowboys and Dalton Schultz were going to agree on a long-term deal, especially considering the fact that the tight end already signed his franchise tag. Schultz decided to forego the remaining portion of voluntary activities this offseason due to dissatisfaction over the way contract negotiations were going, but the fact that he signed the tag a few months ago gave the Cowboys a lot of leverage and no reason to act.

This Friday is the deadline for the team and Schultz to agree to a long-term contract or else he is locked into the tag that he signed. According to ESPN, it is unlikely that Schultz and the Cowboys will reach a deal before the clock strikes midnight.

We have discussed many times how the contract that the Cleveland Browns gave to David Njoku has complicated matters in these negotiations given that Schultz has the more impressive NFL history of the two players. In typical situations, the Cowboys may be forced to blink first here, but they technically have Schultz under contract so they must feel they are good to go.

Dallas drafted Jake Ferguson in the fourth round of this year’s draft and could be fine with him serving as the tight end of the future. Additionally, it is possible for the team to negotiate with Schultz in the future as well, but passing Friday’s deadline means negotiations cannot take place until next offseason.