The NFL ran the numbers again and Dak Prescott vaulted into the top 10.
Prescott's exclusive franchise tag was recalculated according to the league's top-five salaries at the quarterback position, and the Cowboys signal-caller's tag number in 2020 jumped by more than $4.5 million to $31.409 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the updated total.
Franchise tags are based on 2020 restricted free-agent numbers and are finalized after the restricted free-agent period ends, Rapoport added. The original number -- which for Prescott was $26.824 million -- is a placeholder.
Prescott's updated tag number puts his single-season pay into the top seven in the entire NFL in annual average salary, right between Atlanta's Matt Ryan ($30 million per year) and Philadelphia's Carson Wentz ($32 million per year). Prescott moved up from No. 13 on the same list to No. 7 as a result of the recalculation.
The $31 million is significantly closer to the rumored number Prescott was seeking in long-term contract talks before Dallas was forced to use the tag to keep the quarterback before the start of free agency in March. That should be encouraging to Cowboys fans, and it might increase the odds of Prescott either signing a long-term deal or accepting the risk of playing one season on the tag. Either way, Precsott is officially a $30 million man in 2020.
