Page 32 - Florida Sentinel 3-12-21

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Bucs Franchise Chris Godwin
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys Reach Four-Year, $160 Million Deal, Source Says
DAK PRESCOTT
RISCO, TEXAS -- The Dal- las Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have agreed to a four-year, $160 million con- tract, including $126 million guaranteed on Monday.
The deal, which is techni- cally for six years but voids to four so as to help Dallas against the salary cap, can be worth up to $164 million, a source said.
Prescott's signing bonus is $66 million, the highest in NFL history, with a record $75 million due in Year 1, Schefter reported. The first three years of the deal average $42 million per year, accord- ing to a source.
The Cowboys announced they had agreed to a contract with Prescott but did not disclose terms. The Cowboys will place the franchise tag on Prescott on Tuesday as a procedural matter. The Cow- boys held a news conference Wednesday.
Prescott's salary-cap number for this season will be $22.2 million instead of the $37.7 million that would have come along with the franchise tag, a savings of $15.5 million against this season's cap, Schefter reported.
The process to reach a long-term deal with Prescott covered three offseasons, multiple mega-million offers and hours of negotiations. The Cowboys, all along, said they wanted Prescott to be their franchise quarterback for the present and future, and Prescott said he wanted to remain with the Cowboys.
Buccaneers Bringing Back LB Lavonte David On
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin and agreed to a two-year deal with linebacker Lavonte David, the first steps in what the Super Bowl champions hope will be a successful bid to keep a star-studded roster intact to help Tom Brady pursue an eighth NFL title.
The 25-year-old Godwin earned $2.13 million in 2020 while ranking second to Mike Evans on the team with 65 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. He stands to make about $16.4 million under the franchise tag next season.
While ensuring Godwin returns for a fifth season was the team’s top priority enter- ing free agency, Tuesday’s moves were just the beginning of what general manager Jason Licht and coach Bruce Arians have prom- ised will be a determined ef- fort to “keep the band together” for 2021.
With David agreeing to
2-Year, $25M Deal
CHRIS GODWIN
stay on a deal that includes $20 million guaranteed, line- backer Shaquil Barrett, de- fensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, tight end Rob Gronkowski, receiver An- tonio Brown and running back Leonard Fournette are left as key players not under contract for next sea- son.
The Bucs have also said they're open to giving Brady a contract extension, a move likely to free space under the salary cap.
Coach Bruce Arians made good on his word at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl boat parade, when he told inside linebacker Lavonte David, "Your a**ain't going nowhere."
The Bucs on Tuesday agreed to terms with David on a two-year deal worth $25 million, with $20 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN, keeping one of the league's premier inside line- backers from hitting free agency.
The move came just a few hours after the Bucs fran- chise-tagged wide receiver Chris Godwin, whom Ari- ans also told at the parade, "Your a** ain't going nowhere, either."
Entering Tuesday, the Bucs had roughly $15 million in salary-cap space, accord- ing to Roster Management. They were able to get creative and use three voidable years
LAVONTE DAVID
in David's contract to spread his cap number more evenly though, so he'll only count $3.5 million against the salary cap this year.
"Grinding in them trenches with my dogs! No better feeling!" David cap- tioned a photo on Instagram, with the hashtag #2more.
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