Despite ongoing contract negotiations and some reported conflicts between the two sides, Tight End Dalton Schultz will join his teammates in the Dallas Cowboys’ mandatory veteran minicamp this week.
Last week it was reported that Schultz was considering holding out of the three-day minicamp, which starts today, due to dissatisfaction with the current state of contract talks. The tight end was franchised back in March and is seeking a long-term deal before the start of the season.
#Cowboys franchise-tagged TE Dalton Schultz will report to minicamp today, per source.
No deal imminent, but contract talks have picked up in recent days. Schultz already signed his tender, locking in a $10.931 million salary for 2022 if no deal by July 15.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 14, 2022
With some of the NFL’s other tight ends now averaging $14 million per season, the $10.9 million franchise tag for 2022 is a relative bargain for Dallas and understandably low to Schultz. It’s reasonable that Dalton and his agent would balk at taking less money and the low job security of just a one-year deal.
But with the NFL’s number-one offense last year, the Cowboys are understandably dubious about paying Schultz based on his production. How much do they believe he’s responsible for those numbers or just a product of their system?
To be fair, these negotiations aren’t usually wrapped up in early June. This one could go well into the summer and perhaps not find resolution until just before training camp.
But at the very least, Schultz will be there today for this mandatory camp. He was subject to a total of nearly $100k in fines if he missed all three days.
As reported in the above tweet, hopefully this is a sign that the two sides are coming closer to an agreement and not just Dalton trying to save money.
Dalton Schultz isn’t the only veteran we’ll be keeping our eyes on this week as the entire Cowboys roster participates in minicamp. We’ll see what other news comes out of the event in the coming days.
