Cowboys Need to Figure Out Dak Prescott Contract Situation so They Can Franchise Tag Amari Cooper

The Dallas Cowboys might have tons of cap room this offseason on paper, but that space will shrink very fast once they decide which members of the trio of star free agents to be in Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and Byron Jones will get long-term deals.

Only four quarterbacks (Jared Goff, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson) earn more than $33 million per season. Based on his performance and the fact that the Cowboys must try to retain Cooper in free agency, Prescott's deal should be between $30 million and $33 million. The sooner they write that contract up, the better. The longer they wait, the more likely Cooper hits free agency and leaves.

Here’s How Cowboys Can Lose Amari Cooper in Free Agency

Julio Jones and Michael Thomas are the two highest-paid wide receivers in the league at $22 million and $19.25 million per season, respectively, while Odell Beckham Jr. and Tyreek Hill are each making $18 million. On the open market, Cooper could/should earn around $16.5 million per season, which is the same as Mike Evans' salary. If they don't sign Amari long term, they need to franchise tag him.

If Prescott's contract either exceeds $33 million or takes too long, another team could easily draft a substantial offer for Cooper and snatch him away.

After all, teams will be hesitant to give Dak Prescott upwards of $40 million a year, so the QB hitting the open market may not be as concerning since the Cowboys have the upper hand in talks given they're the team that drafted him and cultivated him.

Jerry Jones needs to show off exactly what kind of financial wizard and expert negotiator he is during this offseason. In this order, he needs to get Prescott signed quickly and follow that up with a Cooper contract or franchise tag to keep the Cowboys from sinking to the bottom of the NFC.