d. “There’s no penalty for that, but we’re going to encourage all of them to be on field. We’d like for all of them to be on the field and stand at attention.”Goodell was asked who would get to decide what actions would be considered disrespectful to the anthem or the U.S. flag.“Well, I think the gene

News of Carson Wentz‘s new contract in Philadelphia raised immediate questions regarding the contract eventually to be given to Rams quarterback Jared Goff Chuma Edoga Jersey , who was taken one spot in front of Wentz in the 2016 draft. But Wentz’s deal has more immediate relevance to a quarterback drafted far later than the first two selections.The Cowboys selected Dak Prescott with the 135th pick in the 2016 draft, behind Goff, Wentz, Paxton Lynch (No. 26), Christian Hackenberg (No. 51), Jacoby Brissett (No. 91), Cody Kessler (No. 93), and Connor Cook (No. 100).Prescott has started 48 of 48 regular-season games, and he has led the Cowboys to the playoffs twice. This year, the Cowboys beat the Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson before losing to the Rams and Goff.Prescott also has a 3-2 record against Wentz.Because Prescott wasn’t a first-round pick, his contract expires after the 2019 season. Which puts him in line for the franchise tag in February, barring a long-term deal.The Cowboys have been trying to get Prescott to sign a new contract, but the Cowboys have said they want him to accept a team-friendly deal. Aiding the argument is the fact that being the quarterback of the Cowboys has real value, from increased exposure (Dallas games always generate huge ratings) to enhanced endorsement deals to a potential path to a post-playing career in the broadcast booth.If Wentz, who has never played in a playoff game because he has suffered season-ending injuries in consecutive Decembers, has a value of $32 million per year in new money, what is Prescott worth?Is he worth the four-year, $128 million extension that Wentz received? If so, that would put Prescott under contract for five years and $130 million, an average at signing of $26 million per year.But would that be enough for Prescott? A five-year, $130 million contract would still put him behind the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins in total value at signing.The problem for the Cowboys and Prescott comes from his low contract-year salary. To get to $30 million per year in total value at signing, Prescott would need a four-year Trevon Wesco Jersey , $148 million extension. That would result in a new-money average of $37 million per year, a new record high by $2 million per year.So how about $28 million per year in total value at signing, like Kirk Cousins? That would require a four-year, $138 million extension. Which would equate to a new-money average of $34.5 million — just behind Wilson at $35 million annually.The Cowboys surely aren’t interested in making that kind of an offer.Should Prescott be penalized because the rookie wage scale sticks him at $2 million for 2019? Should the Cowboys rip up the current deal without regard to what Prescott is due to make and replace the obsolete contract with one that better reflects his current value?If the Cowboys won’t do it, Prescott could choose to hold firm, refusing all team-friendly offers and playing the Kirk Cousins franchise-tag game, making roughly $25 million for 2020 and roughly $30 million for 2021 before forcing the Cowboys to choose between paying him $43.2 million for 2022 or letting him become a free agent. That would be $98.2 million for three years, an average of $32.7 million per year.But then Prescott would undoubtedly hit the open market, while still only 29 years old.The real question is whether Prescott will be willing to say “no” to the best offer the Cowboys put on the table, choosing instead to carry the injury risk on a year-to-year basis. It’s one thing to want this number or that number in the abstract. That all changes when the team presents the player and his agents with a giant pile of life-altering money, forcing the player to choose between getting paid a lot now or getting paid (or not paid) a lot more later. ATLANTA (AP) — NFL owners approved a new policy Wednesday aimed at quelling the firestorm over national anthem protests sparked by Colin Kaepernick and polarized by President Trump, permitting players to stay in the locker room during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” but requiring them to stand if they come to the field.Commissioner Roger Goodell said the change was approved unanimously by the owners at their spring meeting in Atlanta, but even that was up for debate.The head of the San Francisco 49ers — Kaepernick’s former team — said his franchise abstained from the vote. CEO Jed York said he wasn’t comfortable with a process that didn’t directly involve the players.“I want to work with my team to make sure everything we do is about promoting the right types of social justice reform and getting to a better America,” York said.The NFL Players Association said it wasn’t consulted about the new policy and would challenge any changes that violate the collective bargaining agreement.Clearly, Goodell and most owners just want to put the issue behind them.“We want people to be respectful of the national anthem. We want people to stand,” the commissioner said. “We’ve been very sensitive on making sure that we give players choices, but we do believe that moment is an important moment and one that we are going to focus on.”In the surest sign that players were not part of the discussions, any violations of the policy would result in fines against the team — not the players. That could be a way to avoid legal challenges from the players’ union, since fines against a team would not be subject to collective bargaining.The league did say teams could impose their own workplace rules for those who fail to show respect for the flag and anthem, but didn’t say what those policies might be. Because the new policy is a change in the terms and conditions of employment that was not collectively bargained, any attempts to fine individual players who continue to protest in public would surely be opposed by the union.The owners spent several hours addressing the contentious issue — which made it all the way to the White House.Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback Shareef Miller Jersey , began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, a quiet but powerful protest against police brutality and racial inequities in the justice system.Other players took up the cause, and the gesture carried on during the 2017 season even after Kaepernick left the 49ers and failed to land a job with another team.Trump turned the debate into a campaign issue , saying the NFL should fire any player who takes a knee during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The NFL hasn’t gone that far, but Kaepernick has yet to land another job and one of his former teammates and fellow protesters, safety Eric Reid, is also out of work.Both have filed collusion grievances against the NFL.While the owners touted the change as a compromise that everyone should get behind, the union expressed immediate skepticism.“The NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new `policy,'” the NFLPA said in a statement. “NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about.”The statement added, “The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Chairman of the NFL’s Management Council John Mara (co-owner of the New York Giants) about the principles, values and patriotism of our League.”York said he intended to meet with his players to discuss the change.“They know I will stand up for them. I’ve stood up for them in past, I will stand up for them in the future,” York said. “I hope we can have a good, respectful conversation: Is it the best policy for us to write a check to the league (for further on-field protests) or can we find a better way to use this money.”The NFL started requiring players to be on the field for the anthem in 2009 — the year it signed a marketing deal with the military. But owners sent a bit of a convoluted message with the new policy, appeasing those who feel the national anthem must be treated with reverence, while allowing some sort of conduit for players to protest as long as they stay out of the public eye.York said other initiatives were in the works, including a suspension of all concessions sales during the national anthem .“If we want to be sacrosanct, if we want to honor the flag, we’ve got to make sure we go through a litany of things Zach Brown Jersey ,” he said. “We’re not going to force people to stand in their seats, but we’re certainly going to make sure we’re not profiting during that two or three minutes of time during the game.”Steelers guard Ramon Foster shrugged his shoulders when asked about the new policy, saying the owners will always hold an upper hand over the players.“If the team says `this is what we’re doing,’ and ownership (does too), you either deal with it or you’re probably going to get cut,” Foster said. “You can fight the resistance on that one, but same as we can’t smoke marijuana because it’s illegal in certain states, or it’s legal in certain states, it’s the same issue. You have to adhere to the rules and if not, they’ll find a way to get you up out of there.”Goodell took a more conciliatory path. He insisted the league met with countless players over the last year to get their input on the fractious anthem debate anthem, which some have even pointed to as a major reason for the NFL’s declining TV ratings.“We think that we’ve come up with a balanced process, procedure and policy that will allow those players who feel they can’t stand for the anthem to stay in the locker room,” the commissioner said. “There’s no penalty for that, but we’re going to encourage all of them to be on field. We’d like for all of them to be on the field and stand at attention.”Goodell was asked who would get to decide what actions would be considered disrespectful to the anthem or the U.S. flag.“Well, I think the general public has a very strong view of what respect for the flag is and that moment,” he said. “We have language in our policy that talks about that, standing attention, hats off and focused. And I think the general arbiter will the clubs and the league and we’ll work with our players to get their viewpoint also.”——