Entering the offseason as the Dallas Cowboys tried to figure out the best way to retain their outgoing talent while adding new pieces to the roster, one move they made was placing the franchise tag on breakout tight end Dalton Schultz.
Now as we inch closer and closer to training camp the Cowboys are holding another set of OTAs, from June 6 to June 7. In an ideal world, they’d have everyone on hand to try and work toward removing that bitter taste of defeat from their January playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
But that won’t be the case, with Schultz now planning to skip the rest of voluntary Organized Team Activity sessions, citing his frustration with how contract negotiations are progressing with the Cowboys’ organization. Unfortunately for Schultz, a decision he made earlier this offseason takes away most of his leverage.
Dalton Schultz has already signed his franchise tender
It’s not a problem for Dalton Schultz to not have an interest in continuing to partake in OTAs, as they are entirely voluntary, but brownie points can be earned by grinding through practices with your fellow teammates.
The bigger problem for Schultz, if he’s truly upset with how contract talks are proceeding, is that he’s already signed his name on the dotted line of the franchise tender, meaning he’s already under contract for the Cowboys in 2022.
- Dalton Schultz contract: $10.9 million
This means the Cowboys don’t have to do anything with their starting tight end, and they should be able to expect him at their mandatory minicamp sessions beginning on June 14. Will Schultz show up if the team can’t reach a long-term contract extension? We’ll all have to wait and see, but for now, he’s not happy with his organization.
Related: Dak Prescott defends Dallas Cowboys offseason: ‘We definitely didn’t take a step back’