Quarterback Dak Prescott is set to become a free agent in less than a month’s time, a situation the Dallas Cowboys have certainly played a part in reaching. The two sides have been negotiating on a new deal since last offseason, with talks being called off early in the 2019 season.
David Moore of the Dallas Morning News stated Prescott has earned $2.7 million dollars in his four years with the organization, but it’s a little more than that. The quarterback earned a performance escalator for 2019, making his total earnings just over $4 million.
While contracts are built to pay players for future performance, the fact Prescott played in 2019 for pennies on the dollar of what his fellow draft class mates made is a very solid argument for why his deal should surpass theirs.
Based off his past performances, statistics and record as the starting quarterback, Prescott has been severely underpaid compared to his counterparts from that same 2016 draft. Both Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz and Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff have received their big pay days prior to 2019.
Through 2019, Goff has already pocketed $49 million. Wentz has pocketed over $39 million. Both will receive at least $30 million in cash in 2020.
Prescott was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft which to some can lead to lower expectations as far as success in the league but also and more importantly for the Cowboys at the time, a lower salary to deal with for his first four years.
Again, Prescott has earned $4 million through four years and at worst, has played on par with his counterparts.
At the time of him being drafted, Prescott was in line to be the third string quarterback. Clearly this wasn’t the case when both starting quarterback Tony Romo and backup quarterback (now second-year offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore went down with injury. Prescott was immediately thrown into the fire. Turns out the next four years went pretty well for Prescott from an organizational standpoint.
Prescott’s idea of what his new contract should be has a floor of the current Wentz and Goff deals, and a ceiling of what’s about to happen in the very near future. With Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson in line to receive their second contracts in the coming season or two, Russell Wilson’s $35 million average will be left in the dust sooner rather than later.
Moore believes this is going to take a five-year deal, but that may be against Prescott’s wishes. who wants either elite tier compensation or a chance to re-enter the market quickly.
There are many factors that come into play when trying to sign a franchise quarterback. When it comes to these larger and lengthy contracts in the NFL, it’s all about the guaranteed money. Over the summer, the Cowboys presented Prescott an offer which would have put him in the top five highest paid at his position. In addition to that, the team went public by stating it came with a $90 million dollar guarantee. Goff’s deal had a guaranteed $110 million.
There’s really no way for the Cowboys to help Prescott catch all the way up to Goff and Wentz over the course of this next deal, but it does seem a little stunning that they’d allow Prescott to continue to fall further behind the pace.
Regardless of how many opinions are floating out there, the Cowboys know they want Prescott to be their quarterback. It’s hard to argue, based on what his peers have earned and are about to earn that he doesn’t have the right to want to be made whole for both past and future performance.
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