Gettin' paid: Miles Austin

Poppa needs a new Bentley

The Dallas Cowboys did not slap the "franchise" tag on wide receiver Miles Austin creating a scenario where the franchise will need to probably pony up another big contract.

With this, they'll put a first- and third-round tender on Austin, meaning, as a restricted free agent, any team that should offer Austin a contract and should the Cowboys not meet that offer and he should go to that other team, the Cowboys would get their first and third round draft picks.

This ain't happening. Say, if the Dolphins wanted Austin, they wouldn't give up those picks, plus have to pay him $9 million a year.

What will happen is the Cowboys and Austin will sit down and hammer out a deal probably somewhere in the same neighborhood with several years on it.

The Cowboys have been very active in giving years and money to their core nucleus. This is advantageous for several reasons. For one, you can win with this team. Two, keeping this core around is ultimately very marketable.

The other theme going on is the extensions for "good guys." Notice that Terrell Owens, Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Greg Ellis and others were one- or two-year propositions.

With all that said, Austin meets all this criteria. A good guy, a seemingly good player.

If I were Jerry Jones, I'd be really reticent to give Austin what he needs to stay despite that I would have to do it. If Austin should somehow sneak out of town to Miami or New York, there'd be a mutiny with every Cowboys fan within a 100-mile radius storming the Death Star.

Still, this is a fourth receiver that came out of nowhere to become a top five pass catcher in the conference. It'd be like giving Brendan Haywood $40 million over four years based on his two-week output ... oops, this is certainly happen so I shouldn't joke.

Anyway, Austin isn't going anywhere and just wait for Jones to pry open that check book because Miles Austin needs to get paid.