Cowboys On The Clock With Contract Negotiations Of Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper As New CBA Passes
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Cowboys are on the clock to determine the contract statuses for both quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The clock started for the Cowboys once the NFL Players Association announced Sunday morning that they had ratified the new Collective Bargaining Agreement by a vote of 1,019 to 959.
The new agreement creates a 17-game regular season starting as soon as 2021, expanded playoffs as soon as this season and labor peace for the next ten years.
It also created a dilemma for the Cowboys.
Under the old agreement, NFL teams had a franchise tag and a transition tag at their disposal to protect players from entering free agency.
Now, under the new agreement, NFL teams only have one franchise tag to use, creating a sense of urgency for the Cowboys in signing their top two players.
Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper are set to become free agents if deals can't be done. The one tag will now only allow the team to secure one of them.
Dallas has until noon Monday to place their franchise tag on a player.
That tag is expected to be used on Prescott, which would guarantee the quarterback to make around $33 million for the 2020 season, if a long-term deal isn't done by the deadline.
If this would happen, then the Cowboys would have until 3 p.m. Wednesday to try to sign Cooper to a long-term contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The next 72 hours will be interesting for both the Cowboys -- and their fans.