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NFL notebook: Cowboys, Prescott making progress on deal

[May 08, 2019] Negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott on a contract that would make the quarterback the highest-paid player in team history are progressing, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Tuesday.

The contract could be worth close to $30 million a year, or more, according to the newspaper.

Team owner Jerry Jones told Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Monday that he was confident the deal with Prescott, entering his fourth NFL season, would get done.

"We are sold on Dak," Jones said. "We do want to have him for the long term."

--Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul sustained a fractured neck in a single-car crash last week and could require surgery, multiple media outlets reported.

The 30-year-old will visit neck specialists for opinions, and ESPN reported he likely will need an operation. NFL Network reported Pierre-Paul could indeed be headed for surgery -- which would carry a recovery time of five to six months -- but added there is hope the injury could heal on its own before Week 1.

The Buccaneers issued a statement that did not acknowledge the specific injury but confirmed the evaluation process is ongoing.

--Le'Veon Bell remains absent from voluntary team sessions with the New York Jets two months after signing a contract with $27 million guaranteed.

Bell preferred his Miami-area digs for offseason training as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including his full year spent in relative exile as a holdout.

"When it's time to play football..." Bell wrote on Instagram. "I got to stick to the formula that I know works for me to be the best player I can be...I'll take the heat right now, everybody will forget about that once January comes around."

--Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman said he won't have any trouble with new San Francisco 49ers teammate Nick Bosa as long as the rookie shows up to play.

Bosa admitted pre-draft that he had scrubbed his Twitter account clean of anything that could be considered political. The former Ohio State defensive end had tweeted his support for President Donald Trump, and also criticized former 49ers quarterback-turned-social activist Colin Kaepernick.

"It's not like something where guys are like, 'Hey man, what about what you said?' No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can't play, he won't be here," Sherman told the Sacramento Bee.

--An infamous sideline interview during the 2003 football season is what gave legendary quarterback Joe Namath the motivation he needed to stop drinking, he writes in a new autobiography.

In the book, "All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters," Namath described the aftermath of the awkward interview with ESPN's Suzy Kolber, in which he told her he wanted to kiss her.

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Dak Prescott during red carpet arrivals for the NFL Honors show at the Fox Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

"I saw it as a blessing in disguise," said Namath, 75, who has acknowledged he was drunk during the interview. "I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven't had a drink since. ... I'd probably be dead by now if I hadn't stopped drinking."

--Longtime Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber will become the 13th member of the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor in September.

The ceremony will take place at halftime of the Buccaneers' Sept. 22 game against the New York Giants, a game Barber will be working as a member of the FOX broadcast team.

--The Oakland Raiders and free agent guard Richie Incognito have "strong mutual interest" but are waiting on potential NFL discipline for Incognito's arrest last summer, ESPN reported.

Incognito was arrested in August during an incident at an Arizona funeral home following his father's death. He pleaded guilty last month to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 11 months of probation and a 90-day suspended jail sentence. The 35-year-old last played for Buffalo in 2017.

--The New England Patriots will sign free agent offensive tackle Jared Veldheer to a one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million later this week, multiple media outlets reported.

According to SiriusXM NFL, the minimum value will be $3.5 million, with up to $3 million in additional escalators.

--Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, credited her surgeon for saving her hearing as he operated last month to remove a brain tumor.

On Instagram, she thanked Dr. Gregory Thompson of the University of Michigan for his patience and persistence during the 12-hour surgery, which she said was complicated by a rare artery.

--The NFL will open a training academy in London this fall for teenagers who want to tackle the sport.

Starting in September, the NFL Academy will offer student-athletes ages 16 to 18 "the opportunity to combine education with the life skills and intensive training in the sport under full-time professional coaches."

--Field Level Media

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