The clock is ticking for the to get a long-term deal done with quarterback . The 15-day period for teams to name franchise and transition players opened on Feb. 23. The Cowboys would prefer to sign Prescott to a new contract before this window closes on March 9 at 4 p.m. ET. Prescott is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery from the open or compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle he sustained against the five games into the 2020 season.Absent a new deal, the Cowboys are expected to designate Prescott as franchise player for a second straight year. Presumably, Prescott would be given another exclusive designation, which would prevent him from soliciting an offer sheet from other NFL teams. A second franchise tag in 2021 at the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement mandated 20 percent raise over the $31.409 million one-year contract Prescott played under in 2020 will cost Dallas $37,690,800.Dallas accommodating a second franchise tag will be more challenging because the NFL and NFLPA agreed to a $180 million salary cap floor for 2021 league year, which begins on March 17, due to the coronavirus pandemic creating a revenue shortfall. The 2021 salary cap isn't Richard Seymour Jersey expected to be above $185 million. Prescott's 2020 tag was 15.85 percent of the league wide $198.2 million salary cap. A $37,690,800 tag would be 20.94 percent of the salary cap at the $180 million floor. The Cowboys currently have $17.55 million of room, a suming the 2021 salary cap is set at the floor according to NFLPA data.After the second designation, the Cowboys would have until 4 p.m. ET on July 15 to sign Prescott long-term. If an agreement couldn't be reached by this date, Dallas would be prohibited from signing Prescott to a multi-year contract until the 2021 regular season ends. The negotiation dynamics have changed since talks ended last July, which is something Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged. "I don't know how you could have any more leverage," Jones said several weeks ago during a radio interview with 105.3 The Fan.Prescott's importance to the Cowboys' offense and the franchise tag rules provide the leverage despite the injury. Prescott was having the best year of Alec Ingold Jersey his career when he got he hurt. Through the quarter mark of the 2020 season, Prescott was on pace to shatter NFL single season pa sing yards record (5,477). Prescott was projecting to 6,760 pa sing yards for the season. He also completed a career high 68 percent of his pa ses in the five games he played.Dallas struggled on offense without Prescott. In the four complete games Prescott played, he was throwing for 422.5 yards per game and the Cowboys were scoring 31.5 points per game. Dallas averaged 204.9 pa sing yards per game and 21.1 points per game when Prescott didn't play. Prescott playing on a second franchise tag would set the stage for him to leave Dallas as an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Dallas designating Prescott as a franchise player for three K.J. Wright Jersey consecutive years would be cost prohibitive. A third and final franchise tag with a 44 percent increase over the 2021 figure would be $54,274,752. Teams rarely make the kind of statement Jones did about a negotiation. An admi sion like that is music to an agent's ears. As long as Prescott allows Todd France, his agent, to fully exploit his leverage, hardball can be played with the Cowboys.The only way something should get done before the March 9 deadline under these circumstances is with the Cowboys conceding every major aspect of the deal. These major aspects would be length of contract, average per year, contract guarantees, signing bonus and contract structure. Dallas probably wouldn't take too kindly to France dictating the terms. My experience during my numerous years representing players was teams didn't hesitate to use leverage to the fullest extent but had a tendency to take it personally when an agent took complete advantage of his/her leverage. The biggest sticking point in last year's negotiations was length of contract. The Cowboys were insistent on a five year deal while Prescott only wanted to sign for four years. If representing Prescott, I would be adamant about only signing a three-year deal with a second franchise tag imminent. My position would be Prescott wanted to be under contract through the 2023 season once his rookie contract expired. Insisting on a three-year deal after playing under a franchise tag in 2020 would be consistent with this thinking. Ordinarily, the cost of franchising Prescott a second time, $37,690,800, would become the starting point for serious negotiations to France. The changing marketing conditions at quarterback since the failure to reach an agreement last July should be more significant. Disgruntled quarterback signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension averaging $39 million per year last September as the Carl Nassib Jersey start of the regular season was approaching. The deal is worth up to $160 million through incentives. Watson is the standard in first three new years compensation at $124 million, which averages $41,333,333 per year. Just as Watson topped quarterback in first four new years compensation, France should insist on the same for Prescott on the three year deal. Mahomes's new money average after four years is $38.95 million per year, which is $50,000 per year le s than Watson's extension averages. Mahomes being the better player ultimately didn't matter with this contract metric. France should use the occurrence as ammunition since Watson is more highly regarded around the NFL than Prescott. The amount fully guaranteed at signing hasn't taken a jump since quarterback become the NFL's first $30 million per year player in 2018. Ryan's deal contained $94.5 million fully guaranteed. Prescott's deal should establish a new benchmark. France could pre s for Prescott getting the most lucrative fully guaranteed contract in NFL history. It doesn't nece sarily have to be a deal breaker for France provided any money that isn't fully guaranteed at signing becomes completely secure next March during the initial days of the 2022 league year. It's probably going to be require structuring Prescott's deal with one of the biggest signing bonuses ever for the Cowboys to get substantial 2021 cap relief. quarterback $65 million is the biggest signing bonus in league Maxx Crosby Jersey history. quarterback is next at $57.5 million. Adding two dummy or voiding years may also be nece sary so that the proration of the signing bonus can be maximized. Dallas isn't opposed to using voiding contract years. Defensive end and offensive tackle have a voiding 2024 year in their restructured contracts. A neutral deal which isn't either front loaded or back loaded shouldn't be a consideration for Prescott. In a three-year neutral deal, Prescott gets 33.33 percent and 66.67 percent of the money respectively after the first and second contract years. A more player friendly cash flow should be a nece sity f