Cowboys OFFICIAL: $10.9 Million Franchise Tag on Dalton Schultz; What's Next?

Dallas Cowboys have contractual control on tight end Dalton Schultz, with hoped-for cooperation to come

FRISCO - The NFL franchise tag is set for the Dallas Cowboys, giving them contractual control of tight end Dalton Schultz at $10.9 million guaranteed for 2022 - but with more to come.

Sources tell us that the intention here is to do a long-term deal with Schultz that will eventually lessen his cap hit from that aforementioned figure. Additionally, the Cowboys tell CowboysSI.com that Dallas is “all-in” on keeping Gregory.

To make all of this happen, the Cowboys will on Tuesday begin the "flipping of switches'' on the contracts of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin - which can create as much as $23 million of room for a Dallas team that enters the day at $21 million over the $208 million cap.

Randy Gregory, Mike McCarthy

Randy Gregory, Dalton Schultz

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4CWCCF4_yxNFcnO5rvUbjQ

Randy Gregory, Dalton Schultz

Each team can tag one player, and the upside for the team here: it ties the player to the club for one year as they have until mid-June to work out a long-term deal, without which the player has to play the upcoming season on the tag.

The downside for the team, especially one with cap challenges: That money is guaranteed, and eats up that much against the cap.

The upside for the player (and yes, it exists, even as some see the tag as a penalty)? With Schultz? His $10.7 million would put him in the top seven at his position.

The downside for the player? If a new deal can’t be worked out, he missed out on what could be a long-term deal and millions more … having to roll the dice on staying healthy enough in 2022 to get another bite of that apple.

Schultz, 25, plays a position that is easier to fill. But to his credit, in the last two seasons, Schultz has 141 catches for 1,423 yards and 12 TDs.

Dalton Schultz

Dalton Schultz

In the Cowboys' perfect world, both Schultz and Gregory (and for that matter, DeMarcus Lawrence and Amari Cooper, who are so-far declining pay-cut proposals - opt for "team-friendly'' long-term deals.

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