He's not scamming anybody. No one has put a gun to their head, they don't have to pay him.
This is a negotiation. Both sides are going to negotiate and it will either get done or not. It's in the best interests of both sides to make a deal, so I'd guess that they'll make a compromise. But if he sticks to his guns and won't budge off of $36 million per year, then he's going to play out his contract and probably go elsewhere.
Here is what I don't get. Someone smarter at math help me with this.
I'm Dak. I want $36M dollars per year, the Cowboys only offer me $32M. I play out my year on my existing contract for more or less $1M per year. I play great and get my big contract next year. But I could have made $32M this year.
So how long does it take me to make up that $32M that I lost this year even if I make $36M afterward? 6 or 7 years? Financially speaking, he's better off taking $32M now rather than $36M starting next year.
Am I the only person who knows how to do math? Surely his agent must know this.