The forgotten benefits of being the Dallas Cowboys quarterback

What value does the Dallas Cowboys quarterback receive for just being under center for America’s Team? Let’s turn back the clock and take a look.

With the 135th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected quarterback Dak Prescott from Mississippi State. It’s no secret that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried unsuccessfully to trade up for 1st round bust Paxton Lynch and missed out on Connor Cook in the fourth round.

Dak was the Cowboys third choice. He started training camp as the third quarterback and after injuries to former quarterbacks Kellen Moore and Tony Romo landed in the starting spot and been there ever since.

He would lead the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the first seed in the NFC his rookie year. After three years, he would have a 32-16 regular season record with two playoff berths.

But what if the Cincinnati Bengals selected Prescott with the 122nd pick. Instead of Moore and Romo getting hurt, what if it was Andy Dalton and A.J. McCarron?

Let’s assume that Prescott did for the Bengals what he did for the Cowboys with a 32-16 record and two playoff trips. Would the NFL world take notice? Would Prescott receive the same amount of adoration and criticism?

Would he have endorsement deals with New Era Caps, Beats by Dre headphones, Campbell’s Chunky soup, Tostitos, Pepsi, 7-Eleven, Nicholas Air, AT&T, Direct TV, Panini America, Dannon, Adidas, and Keurig. That’s a long list – did I miss any? Adam Schefter reported that Prescott’s endorsements are worth about $3 million annually.

Would AT&T and Direct TV be lining up for Dak if he was a Cincinnati Bengal? The Cowboys play in AT&T stadium and have a long-standing relationship with the company which now owns Direct TV.

Same question with Pepsi and Tostitos who are also Cowboys partners. Kuerig Dr. Pepper recently partnered with Dallas to build their corporate headquarters at the Star in Frisco, the home of Americas Team.

In 2016, he was the third most popular player according to licensing royalties behind his teammate running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Tom Brady. He climbed to number two in 2017 and stayed there in 2018.  According to ESPN Senior Writer Darren Rovell, that equates to nearly 1 million dollars over three years.

Maybe Dak would have landed these deals as a Cincinnati Bengal but it is highly unlikely. The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world. They achieved this by cultivating a global fan base who buy Prescott jerseys and help him to the top three in licensing sales.

This hypothetical needs consideration when Dak values his next contract. There is value for him as the Dallas quarterback. Sponsors crave the Cowboys.

When looking at market comparables, I am guessing that his agents will forget this fact. They may also forget that Texas has no state income tax which likely equates to 5 to 10 percent savings depending on the state (only four states with no income tax have NFL teams: Texas, Washington, Tennessee and Florida).

Conservatively, the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys enjoys at least a $4 million annual benefit in endorsements, licensing and tax savings. That’s not chump change.

With no deal in sight, let’s hope the Dallas Cowboys front office stays disciplined to their required team friendly deal proclamation. If the situation becomes untenable, there is always the Franchise Tag in 2020 or the possibility for a trade.

Prescott has proven that he is a winner. The debate as to who gets the credit for the wins still rages on. However, it is clear that Dak is not able to elevate the talent around him and he needs good football players around him for success.

I hope Prescott remembers that good football players cost money and the more he takes the less for talent around him. He can be a lifetime Dallas Cowboys quarterback like Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman and build a long-lasting legacy but it will take a sacrifice in the salary cap NFL for him to achieve that level.

If Dak Prescott must get his money above all other factors, then he might be careful. With no dead money left on his contract, Andy Dalton will be easily replaced should the Cincinnati Bengals have another tough year.