FRISCO, Texas _ It's time for the Dallas Cowboys to blink.
For the good of the franchise, and any hope of success under Mike McCarthy in his first year as head coach, it's time for team owner Jerry Jones to reach for the checkbook and a pen. And then hand that fat check to quarterback Dak Prescott.
Jones has already stated it's what he's going to need to do when he said that there is no going forward without Prescott.
Now, the idea of Prescott preferring a three-year deal to get back on the market as soon as possible might be asking for a little too much.
It is unrealistic from the Cowboys' point of view, according to a source.
A shorter deal makes getting all those exorbitant numbers difficult to make work under the cap.
The Cowboys would want to sign Prescott, 26, to at least five years to help spread out the money, while also giving them some long-term stability at the position.
And if Prescott is the talent he and the Cowboys believe that he is, both parties will be back at the table renegotiating a new deal before the still-be-be-drafted contract expires, anyway. (By the way, if you think the money is crazy now, it will be insane when Prescott is in his early 30s and coming off some Super Bowl success.)
By comparison, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has signed three new deals since 2012 after the age of 33 and is working on a fourth.
Again, it's the Cowboys and McCarthy who believe he can lead them to a Super Bowl in the near future.
The quickest way to make that happen is to get him signed by March 12 so the team can avoid having to use the franchise tag, which would likely result in him staying away from the offseason program and delaying his adjustment to the new offense.
The first step came at the NFL combine last week when Prescott's agent Todd France spoke briefly with the Cowboys in a meeting that was cursory at best.
The only thing of note what was it was their first meeting since last September when real and perceived momentum toward a deal suddenly halted, all to the chagrin of then-miffed Jones.
Cooler and more resolute heads have emerged but considerable work still must be done.
And the Cowboys are going to have to come up on their standing $33 million annual offer.
While it makes Prescott the fourth highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, it's also the cost of exclusive franchise tag that the Cowboys plan to place on him if no deal is in place by March 12 _ making it the floor of any new deal.
That number will go up.
By how much is the question?
Matching or surpassing Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson's $35 million annual salary as the highest-paid player in the NFL is likely and getting as much is $37 million not beyond the realm of possibility, accoridng to some NFL agents.
And with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and newly-minted Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes expected to sign a market-busting deal in the near future, according to a source, it would behoove the Cowboys to swallow their pride and acquiesce.
With his quarterback contemporaries, Los Angeles Rams' Jared Goff and Philadelphia Eagles' Carson Wentz, signing deals last season with $110 million and $107 million in guaranteed money, respectively, it only stands to reason that the Cowboys offer of $105 million in guaranteed money is going to have to go up as well.
The real kicker that must be overcome could be the divide on contract length.
Complicating matters is the uncertainty surrounding the new collective bargaining agreement that may or may not be ratified by the NFLPA in next couple of weeks.
It's hard for either side to negotiate real numbers until they know which rules to play by. If a new CBA is passed, it would give the Cowboys more freedom to structure a deal.
If a new CBA is rejected, structuring a long-term deal would be hamstrung by the 30% rule. In the last year of a CBA, contract structures can't have year-to-year total salary increases of more than 30% moving forward.
The rule makes it trickier for the Cowboys to use signing bonuses to spread out cap hits or backload contracts. Teams like to use big signing bonuses with lower base salaries in the first year of the deal.
Consider how the Cowboys dealt with running back Ezekiel Elliott last September. He got a $7.5-million signing bonus, but his base salary in 2019 was $752,000 with a salary cap hit of $6.3 million. The base salary jumps to $6.8 million in 2020, $9.6 million in 2021 and $12.4 million in 2022 with cap hits of $10.9 million, $13.7 million and $16.5 million, respectively.
The Cowboys won't be able to work the first year of Prescott's deal in a similar fashion if there is no new CBA.
No matter the rules, it's a deal the Cowboys have to get done for a multitude of reasons, including the potential of exposing receiver Amari Cooper to free agency if they have to place the franchise tag on Prescott.
Most importantly, it's a bad look to continue haggle with Prescott, who was grossly underpaid for the last four years.
He is the face of the franchise, and the heart and soul of the locker room.
There is no turning back now.
There is no going forward without Prescott.
The bargain shopping is over.
So take a deep breath and write the check, Jerry.
