Right before Dak Prescott was about to cash in big, he had a season that made Jerry Jones’ decision a no-brainer. 2019—the year Dak was entering contract talks—was like a final boss level for him. He slung touchdowns like he was at a carnival booth (30 of them), and with a top-tier season, he made sure that when it came time to talk money, the Cowboys couldn’t do anything but hand over the $160 million check.
But the negotiation for the contract extension wasn’t that easy. Just ask Prescott’s agent, Todd France. On Tuesday, Todd, along with the NFL agent and founder/CEO of sports agency Athletes First, Brian Murphy, and his VP of Client Strategy, AJ Stevens, sat down on the Athletes First Family podcast, where they discussed Prescott’s $160 million contract. You see, before the QB inked that massive contract extension after his rookie deal was over, Dallas already franchise-tagged him once.
And that’s where things got pretty interesting. After the Cowboys tagged him in the 2020 season, Dak suffered an ankle injury, and his season was cut short to just 5 games. Fast forward, and he was set to enter the sixth season of his career. With that, the contract extension talks were looming over the front office’s head. At that time, Dallas had three options: let him go to free agency, sign him on a long-term deal, or franchise tag him again.
Todd France and the Athletes First team representing #Cowboys Dak Prescott devised a way to include essentially a lifetime no-tag clause in the contract signed in 2021.
France was thinking 2-steps ahead, giving Prescott all the leverage for next deal.
(: @AthletesFirst on YT) https://t.co/MaqtzfVlSb pic.twitter.com/OijuAiJCWB
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) April 1, 2025
But the Cowboys asked his agent for a long-term deal negotiation. “They said, you know, our ability to tag him a second time is on the table, but we’d like to actually try to get this thing done. We’re tired of talking about it for the last two-plus years. So I gave you a five-year proposal,” Stevens explained. The kicker? Well, Todd France wanted a four-year deal for Dak, which the Cowboys eventually agreed to after three to four weeks.
But the catch is that the deal wasn’t the numbers that they wanted. And thanks to that, both parties waited for a few more weeks until the deadline for the Cowboys to place the franchise tag on Prescott for the second time was just around the corner. Finally, the Cowboys and Prescott reached a groundbreaking deal. “It’s front-loaded so that throughout the first year of the deal, he makes 75 million dollars through three years of the deal. He’s making one hundred and twenty-six on average of forty-two million dollars over the first three,” Stevens continued.
However, Stevens and France got creative, considering the deadline was so close at the time of finalizing a deal. “We said, you know what? We want you to place the tag on him tomorrow, and then we’ll agree to the deal an hour after you place the tag on him,” Stevens said. The reasons? Well, in that sense, they could say that Dak had already been tagged two-times, and tagging him a third time would trigger a much larger tag.
And just like that, Dak Prescott’s agent prevented the QB from getting franchise-tagged for a third time and secured a $160 million long-term deal for four years. No wonder they pulled off another $240 million deal last year. Speaking of which, the Cowboys are currently in talks to extend Micah Parsons‘ contract. And let’s just say that it’s getting messier every day.
Micah Parsons’ agent is not a factor for Jerry Jones
Micah Parsons is about to enter the final season of his rookie deal after the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on his contract. However, the guy’s definitely waiting for a contract extension right now. And why not? The 25-year-old LB recorded 52.5 sacks in just the four seasons of his career. But in the meantime, it looks like Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are in no rush for a deal.
But let’s be real—pass rushers’ salaries are only going up. And the longer the Cowboys drag their feet, the more it’s gonna cost them in the long run. Now, Jerry Jones? He’s doing things his way. Instead of sitting down with Parsons’ agent, he went straight to Micah himself. And, well, let’s just say, Jerry’s take on agents isn’t exactly what Parsons wants to hear.
“The agent is not a factor here or something to worry about. And I don’t know his name. And so my point is…this isn’t about an agent,” he said. “The agent doesn’t have one thing to do with what we’re doing when we get on a football field against the team. Micah does. To the degree I’m involved, I do… And I’m not demeaning the agent. I’m just saying anybody can do this. And that’s talking directly to a player.” But looks like Parsons isn’t the one to take JJ’s decisive takes on his agent.
In fact, the LB declared that he’s not doing a deal without his agent involved. Guess there’s a lot to unfold in this contract extension saga. But one thing’s for sure. Once Micah Parsons signs a deal, the guy’s going to be the highest-paid non-QB in the league.
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