Could Prescott be a future option for Steelers?
NFL teams have until 4 p.m., Wednesday to work out extensions with their franchise-tagged players. If that doesn’t happen by that time, they cannot talk about a new contract until after the season ends.
For the Steelers, of course, that includes linebacker Bud Dupree, who has already signed his franchise tag tender. But the one everyone in the league will be keeping an eye on is in Dallas, where quarterback Dak Prescott will earn $31.4 million this year on the franchise tag.
With Patrick Mahomes’ record-setting contract signed last weekend for as much as $503 million over 10 years, the die has been cast. Prescott isn’t going to ask for $500 million or an average of $50 million per season, but it wouldn’t be surprising for him to want $45 million per season.
And the Cowboys aren’t going to want to go that high.
What could happen is a Kirk Cousins situation. Cousins was tagged two years in a row by the Washington Redskins, earning just under $44 million in his final two seasons.
The Redskins couldn’t afford to tag Cousins a third time and he became a free agent, signing a fully guaranteed contract with the Minnesota Vikings. So, we could see Prescott hit the free-agent market after the 2021 season.
That happens to be when a certain franchise quarterback’s contract runs out with the Steelers.
Would the Steelers be interested in a quarterback set to turn 28? They’re on the books for more than $40 million for Ben Roethlisberger in 2021 and have paid him more than $225 million to this point in his career, so they’ve shown they’re willing to pay big money for a quarterback if they think he can help them win a championship.
It’s a longshot to happen to be sure, but it’s one worth thinking about.
- It was shocking – shocking I say – that the NFLPA executive council voted last weekend to play no preseason games.
Veteran NFL players never want to play preseason games. None. Ever.
They’re using the COVID-19 outbreak as an excuse to attempt to get this year’s preseason canceled.
The league wants to hold at least two preseason games. And despite the NFLPA vote, the NFL will decide how many preseason games are held. The NFLPA vote is non-binding and means nothing.
- There are a lot of things going by the wayside this year because of COVID-19. The NFL announced that it will no longer allow players to swap jerseys after games.
Players love to do it. But let’s be honest, it’s one of the silliest things that has become commonplace in recent years.
Who in the world wants to hang somebody’s sweaty, game-used jersey on their wall?
- Question: If the protests that took place didn’t have an effect on the latest surge in positive COVID-19 as some are arguing because they were held outdoors, why is it that holding outdoor sporting events is somehow going to be an issue?
If we could have thousands of people in the streets shoulder to shoulder for hours at a time, putting people in stadiums socially distanced shouldn’t be a problem.
- Major League Baseball hasn’t played a game in 2020. And, who knows, maybe it won’t happen at all this year.
But we’ve got a 2021 schedule. MLB released that on Thursday. For what it’s worth.
- If there is a dumber rule to be added to professional sports in recent years than Major League Baseball going to a modified “Texas Shootout” in extra innings, I haven’t seen it.
Under the new rule, extra innings in games will begin with a player on second base and no outs.
Essentially, they’re giving each team a leadoff double.
Major League hitters are good enough that they can either bunt the runner over or move him over by hitting a ball to the right side of the infield. He can then be driven home by a sacrifice fly.
Doesn’t that sound exciting?
Shootouts in hockey are silly because they’re akin to having a three-point shooting contest to end a basketball game or a precision passing competition to end a football game.
Of course, baseball is all about the stats, so it has deemed that for purposes of calculating earned runs, the runner who begins an inning on second base via this rule shall be deemed to be a runner who has reached second base because of a fielding error, but no error shall be charged to the opposing team or to any player.
Sure, that makes sense, too.
If we’re going to have batters reach base without earning it, they might as well do so via an imaginary error.