During an NFL offseason, conversation can get a bit crazy when it comes to rankings list. One of the easiest ways to drive traffic to posts or videos is to disrespect a top Cowboys player. There will always be enough onlookers who denigrate any and everything Dallas (including a certain faction of their own fanbase) to support ridiculous statements and give it traction.
The people who get paid to create fantastical content are then derided and given oxygen from others who get paid based on traffic, and all of a sudden the entire sports universe is either agreeing or up in arms when the guy who was second in MVP voting is named the 17th-best quarterback in the league. Dak Prescott has led the Cowboys offense to sit at or very near the top in scoring for half a decade, across multiple offensive coordinators, with or without a running game and with a transitioning (and often overrated) line of protection.
It’s nonsense that is only boosted by the fact there’s a real conversation happening over his leverage in contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys. Those rankings don’t matter in this, but the market does. And when one of the young QBs who has apparently vaulted past Prescott’s eight seasons of play with his lone as a starter gets close to inking his extension, it matters.
So when Green Bay’s Jordan Love lets it be known that he expects to sign an extension before training camp (via ESPN), that report has a tangible impact on Prescott.
What made Love so optimistic when he spoke Tuesday on the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp?
“It’s what I’ve heard,” Love said.
Given that Love said he likes to be involved and wants to be in the loop on developments, there’s reason to think they’ve made significant progress on an extension. When asked whether things will pick up further after this week’s minicamp, Love said: “Yeah, I think they should.”
The current QB market currently has Prescott as the 12th-highest paid (by average) at $40 million per year, just three seasons after he was No. 2 on the list. Love, currently playing on his rookie contract, looks the part of a franchise QB, but has only been under center for one season after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for the first few years of his career in a clear succession plan.
The top of the market is currently $55 million, a seat held by Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. Love is one of a few quarterbacks that include Prescott and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa set to hit free agency following the 2024 season. Any deal by any of the three has a direct impact on the others, even if the younger players don’t top Burrow’s numbers.
Love and Tagovailoa set each other’s markets and set the multiplier floor for Prescott. This despite those weirdo rankings claiming either or both are better QBs.