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The Cowboys met with Dak Prescott’s agent Wednesday. These are the remaining issues to work through

A source said Cowboys officials offered Prescott a contract in September with an average salary of $33 million per season.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Cowboys’ bus sat on a side street next to their team hotel as a light snow fell on this Midwest city that hosts the scouting combine.

Inside the warm bus sat Todd France, the agent for quarterback Dak Prescott, and team officials.

It was their first face-to-face meeting since last September, and it won’t be the last. The anticipation of a new collective bargaining agreement, along with the ability to place a franchise tag on Prescott loomed on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cowboys will not let Prescott leave this franchise. He’s valued too much.

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However, there are some issues to work through.

At the forefront is whether Prescott will be franchised Thursday, the first day teams are permitted to do so. A source said the Cowboys won’t do that Thursday. Cowboys officials plan on working toward a long-term deal with their starting quarterback, but if they can’t finalize anything by the deadline of March 12, he would receive the franchise tag.

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A source said Cowboys officials offered Prescott a contract in September with an average salary of $33 million per season. That would place him among the top five in average salary in the NFL.

Multiple sources indicated the Cowboys presented Prescott a contract that would give him more than $100 million in guaranteed money. There is some discrepancy in terms of how much guaranteed money the Cowboys are willing to give Prescott. In the last year, three quarterbacks received guarantees of more than $100 million: Jared Goff ($110 million), Carson Wentz ($107.8 million) and Russell Wilson ($107 million).

A source close to Prescott disputed the Cowboys offered guarantees reaching $105 million.

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And while there is a discrepancy in these financial numbers, a lack of a collective bargaining agreement will delay any possible deals.

“What numbers you looking at?” Stephen Jones said earlier this week from the scouting combine. “We’re going to have some challenges with our cap. Certainly, it’s Dak and Amari [Cooper] that are going to shrink it in a hurry. We’re going to have challenges, but they’re not challenges that we can’t overcome. If there’s not a CBA, things get a lot tighter in terms of the rules. We’ll have to deal with that.”

FILE - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and VP Stephen Jones watch the team warm up before a game...
FILE - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and VP Stephen Jones watch the team warm up before a game against the 49ers on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

Cowboys officials are hopeful Prescott does something some of his teammates and former players have done: Make a phone call.

DeMarcus Lawrence, Sean Lee, Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware among others have previously reached out to either Jerry Jones or Stephen Jones asking to get a deal done.

The players were not going behind their agents’ backs, and Cowboys officials maintain they wouldn’t encourage this, but the personal touch allowed for a contract to become finalized.

Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, has an excellent relationship with the Cowboys’ front office, but contract talks stalled. Lawrence called Stephen Jones and the two men discussed what specific number was needed to secure a deal. Lawrence signed a five-year, $105 million deal with $65 million in guarantees, one of the highest contracts in franchise history.

A team source is of the belief that if Prescott would call one of the Joneses, a deal could be completed.

Prescott has decided to let France, his agent, handle the talking for him. It’s a smart decision by the quarterback, and it’s the reason he changed agents. Prescott wanted to be represented by the powerful CAA Sports for additional bargaining leverage.

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The Cowboys respect CAA and have done business with them in the past, but they want to hear from their quarterback.

Prescott isn’t being stubborn, he’s just waiting for the process to work out. The Cowboys would like to secure his services soon because they need to figure out how to pay wide receiver Amari Cooper.

The Cowboys are in a holding pattern.

If a new collective bargaining agreement becomes a reality, then Prescott most likely will secure one of the largest contracts in franchise history.

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“It’s exactly where we want to be with Dak,” Mike McCarthy said Wednesday. “I think what he’s done up to this point speaks to itself. And really, Dak is in a business situation right now. I’ve gone through this as a head coach with a number of my players in the past. Like anything, it’s just time to be patient and let the business people work out the business matters. That’s really where we are as an organization and that’s where Dak is in [his effort] to get a contract done.”

NFL’s highest-paid QBs

Annual salary

PlayerTeamMoney
1. Russell WilsonSeattle$35 million
2. Ben RoethlisbergerPittsburgh$34 million
3T. Jared GoffLos Angeles Rams$33.5 million
3T. Aaron RodgersGreen Bay$33.5 million
5. Carson WentzPhiladelphia$32 million
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Guaranteed money

PlayerTeamMoney
1. Jared GoffLos Angeles Rams$110 million
2. Carson WentzPhiladelphia$108 million
3. Russell WilsonSeattle$107 million
4. Matt RyanAtlanta$100 million
5. Aaron RodgersGreen Bay$99 million

Source for all figures: www.spotrac.com

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