The Dallas Cowboys were aware going into the NFL offseason that they would have to extend the contract of quarterback Dak Prescott. Owner Jerry Jones has played down the significance of it, but it may have something to do with the price Dallas will have to pay to keep the MVP front-runner.
Prescott, who will turn 31 in July, has finished his greatest season to date. His completion percentage, quarterback rating, and QBR all established new personal records, and he led the NFL in touchdown passes with 36. Dallas’ only real choice is to sign him to an extension since he is expected to have one of the biggest NFL cap hits of any player in 2024.
Contract with Dak Prescott: 2024 cap hit of $59.455 million; free agent in the NFL in 2025
Prescott is the Cowboys’ strongest option despite his postseason problems (2-5 record, 7 interceptions in the NFL playoffs). Prescott has more clout since the organization lacks the resources to sign another quarterback of MVP caliber and because switching quarterbacks runs the danger of sending him into quarterback purgatory.
For Dallas to become the highest-paid NFL player in history, securing a long-term contract with their great quarterback may come at a high cost.
Prescott’s contract extension would probably cost around $60 million a season, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. It would completely alter the landscape of quarterback compensation in addition to resetting his market.
To put things in perspective, just four quarterbacks have contracts worth at least $50 million annually: Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts. The only NFL player with an average yearly salary of more than $53 million is Burrow ($55 million).
Stats for Dak Prescott: 105.9 passer rating, 69.5% completion percentage, 36-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and 4,516 passing yards
Prescott positioned himself to have a great deal of control over the process, just as he did during the previous round of contract negotiations with the Cowboys. Dallas must decide how much it will pay Prescott in the future and its long-term cap predicament before it can extend guys like Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb.
Dallas is $21.57 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap, primarily due to Prescott’s $60 million cap hit, so it’s critical that the two sides figure something out this offseason. Prescott might become the highest-paid player in NFL history despite the fact that he isn’t thought of as a quarterback capable of winning his team the Super Bowl due to market conditions and negotiation power.
Leave a Reply