Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz will play this season on the one-year, $10.4 million franchise tag instead of the long-term deal he sought. The July 15 negotiating deadline for franchised players came and went.
Talks can’t resume until after the season, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones expressed optimism about keeping Schultz beyond this season. A second tag would cost $13.1 million for 2023.
“We tried,” Jones said, via Rob Phillips of the team website. “It wasn’t that we weren’t necessarily talking about a long-term deal. . . . Sometimes it’s just when you’re getting your hands around what this team is not only going to look like this year but look like in the future, then you have to play that hand that way. I certainly understand where Dalton’s coming from. He represents everything we want in a Dallas Cowboy, on and off the field. . . . He’s an available player who plays at a high level.
“So it’s not that we didn’t want him on a long-term deal. It’s just about getting to the right answer on that, and I think we ultimately will. I think Dalton’s going to be a long-term Cowboy here. It just didn’t work out to get the long-term part of that figured out this time around.”
Schultz had career highs last season with 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. He could be an even bigger part of the offseason this season with Amari Cooper now in Cleveland.