Tua Tagovailoa an option for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 NFL Draft?
By Randy Gurzi
The Cowboys are in a contract dispute with Dak Prescott but if Tua Tagovailoa had his way in the 2020 NFL Draft, he would take over for America’s Team
This offseason could get really interesting for the Dallas Cowboys. They have four Pro Bowlers hitting free agency in Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Byron Jones, and Robert Quinn. Out of all those names, Prescott is the one gaining the most attention. With the 2020 NFL Draft right around the corner, could they be in the market for a new quarterback in the form of Tua Tagovailoa?
One reason for the extra spotlight is his position — quarterback. The other is the fact that the team and player seem to be nowhere close to agreeing to a contract. Dak’s representatives want him to set the market whereas the Cowboys understand that they need to save as much money as they can to pay those around him ‚— and fans surely have to remember how things looked in 2018 when Prescott didn’t have much around him.
With the sides at an impasse, Dallas is reportedly ready to use the franchise tag and Prescott would then hold out as he doesn’t want to show up without a deal. That could end up getting ugly as holdouts are always bad, but even worse when it’s the quarterback who is supposed to be the face of the franchise.
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Of course, there’s a way out for Dallas — or at least there could be if Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa had his way. Recently, the national championship quarterback was asked where he wants to play and he didn’t give the politically correct ‘wherever I get picked’ answer. Instead, he said he wants to line up under center for the most iconic team in the NFL.
"“If you’re saying to me, if I can choose what team I want to play on, as far as my favorite team growing up, then I probably tell you the Cowboys, but they are so far down,” Tagovailoa told the NFL Network’s Steve Wyche (via Mark Heim of AL.com)."
As Tua said, the Cowboys are pretty far down in the draft to be considering him. Currently set to pick at No. 17, there’s no way the two sides will meet up at this point. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no way for it to happen.
Should Dallas be interested in granting Tagovailoa’s wish, they could do so. Surely some team would be willing to give up quite a package for the services of No. 4. The Cowboys could then flip whatever assets they get with the No. 17 pick and move into the top-5 to make the splashy move.
It would be unorthodox but there could be some logic to it as well. Tua would cost significantly less than Prescott who is trying to land a contract close to $40 million per season. Saving that money would allow them to keep players such as Cooper, Quinn, and Byron Jones without even giving the salary cap a second thought.
Having said all this, the Cowboys believe in Prescott and will do all they can to ink him to a long-term deal. But if things were to get heated between the two sides, it would be interesting to see if they want to see how realistic landing Tua Tagovailoa could be.