The Dallas Cowboys young QB Dak Prescott is up for a contract extension and that has caused some serious debate among Cowboy fans. Already one of the more polarizing players in franchise history, once Dak does get signed to a lucrative long term deal his critics will have more fuel to add to the fire. The expectation based on the current QB market is that his new deal could be in the neighbourhood of $30 million dollars per season. That begs the question, if the Dallas Cowboys make Dak Prescott a $30 million dollar man, will he be worth the cost?
The simple and easy answer is NO! Only 3 quarterbacks are making that kind of money currently and their names are Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russell Wilson. Those three players are potential hall of famers and each one of them has won a Super Bowl. In spite of what his critics say about him, no reasonable person can deny that Dak Prescott has accomplished a lot in his three seasons with the Cowboys. However, even his staunchest supporters cannot claim that he has earned more than the aforementioned $30 million dollar QB’s up to this point in his career. The simple answer is no, but NFL free agency, the salary cap, and market value are not simple things.
Market value determines the size of the contracts for all positions. It just so happens that Dak Prescott plays the most important position on the team as well as the most marketable. It is a position that has a higher demand than it does a supply and teams are willing to pay top dollar just for the chance to get a potential franchise QB. That is why Jimmy Garoppolo , Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, and Matt Stafford got paid what they did despite none of those players having ever won a playoff game in their careers. That is why guys like Matt Ryan and Andrew Luck make what they make despite not having ever won a championship to date. It is the nature of the beast. It is also partly the reason why proven guys such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees are closer to the middle of the pack because their teams locked them up long before the market reached this point.
If tomorrow Dak Prescott signs a contract in excess of $30 million per year, many Cowboys fans will want to grab their pitchforks and storm the castle. Those fans should keep in mind that in a few years a $30 million contract for a quarterback will be an average salary. Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold will all likely sign contracts that far exceed that figure. And, while the grass is often greener on the other side, none of those guys have accomplished much more than Prescott has in their careers. As historic as last season was for Mahomes he has only played a single season in the NFL. If he regresses it would not be the first time a quarterback experiences a sophomore slump. Wentz was on the verge of an MVP season two years ago but Philly fans have not forgotten that it was Nick Foles who lead them to playoff glory. Goff was written off as a bust after his rookie year only to benefit from a coaching change to the “boy genius” Sean McVay. Goff’s performance in the Super Bowl, after the masterful gameplan executed by Bill Belichick and the Patriots, may have exposed him as a fraud. On that note, I have always found it humorous that critics of Dak Prescott will credit the team and players around HIM for his success but not treat his peers the same way. Those critics will also fail to acknowledge all of the obstacles Dak has had to overcome in his career thus far. Obstacles such as injuries to key offensive linemen, subpar coaching, and a lack of talent at the wide receiver position. The other quarterbacks I had previously mentioned have all benefited from a wealth of talent around them but have had the added benefit of arguably far better coaching. Do not be mistaken, those franchises will be taking risks when they commit financially to those quarterbacks just like the Cowboys will be taking a major risk when they bet on Dak Prescott for the future.
In this day and age, if your team is fortunate enough to have a young, starting calibre QB, who was shown the ability to lead the team and win, then you must take the chance and pay him the market value. Teams have to take such a chance or they will end up with a string of career backups, journeyman, or unproven rookies at quarterback that could ultimately lead to a period of hopeless struggling such as the Browns, Jets, Dolphins, and Bills have had to endure in recent years.
So given all the variables at play here, the Dallas Cowboys have no choice but to make Dak Prescott a $30 million dollar man. Is Dak Prescott worth $30 million per year? No, but it is absolutely worth it to pay Dak Prescott $30 million per year. Make sense?
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
yes pay the man
I like Dak for the cowboys but look how he plays without Zeke and look how he plays when the line suffers injuries and I say no to 30. He should get paid but a little less like 20-25 mil!