Dallas Cowboys: Why Dak Prescott is worth $200 Million

Quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys are on a collision course that I believe will make him the first $200 million dollar NFL player.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott‘s worth has been a hot topic of debate. It seems as if everyone is either on team sign Prescott or team trade him. It’s a very touchy subject amongst Dallas fans but I believe that Dak will reset the market this offseason.

Last year, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson set the market with his four year $140 million dollar contract that averages an NFL high $35 million a year. I believe he is worth every penny and there wasn’t a big debate as to why Seattle gave him that contract.

The year before Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a huge extension just below what Russell Wilson signed a year later. Rodgers’ deal was a four-year, $134 million dollar deal.

I still remember my jaw hitting the floor when the Detroit Lions gave quarterback Matthew Stafford a five-year $135 million dollar deal. Stafford’s deal, which averages $27 million dollars a year, seems like a bargain now.

This brings us to our current situation. Prescott will get paid this offseason. Whether by way of franchise tag or outright free agency, his dollar value will come to light sometime in March if not earlier.

Now, for the Prescott haters, I understand that it might not be aesthetically pleasing to see Prescott in the pocket but he has been very effective. The Dallas signal-caller was second in passing yards this season with 4,902.

I am old enough to remember an NFL having Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino as the only person to throw for 5,000 yards in a season. Prescott was only 98 yards away from accomplishing that feat.

Still not convinced, how about his total QBR rating of 70.2 which was good enough for fourth in the league. Not bad considering the three quarterbacks ahead of him were in the playoffs last year and two of those three have Super Bowl wins.

Speaking of a full season, Prescott has never missed a game due to injury. Durability is something most people do not factor in when debating Dak’s worth. I’m not even sure you can put a dollar amount on leadership but Prescott oozes it everywhere he goes.

Other critics might point to a misconception that Prescott is a dink and dunk quarterback. If that is true, then how is he fifth with an 8.2 yards per pass average? Funny when you compare that number to Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes who averaged 8.3 yards per pass last season.

For those who think I am throwing out too many statistics, how about I throw out what really matters. Prescott just completed his fourth year and already has 40 wins under his belt. That’s an average of 10 wins a season.

Now let’s get to the contract hold up. I believe Prescott would accept a market average deal that averages around $33-$35 million but the deal would be short. This would allow Dak to prove himself and hit the open market again for another market deal.

This is not ideal for the Cowboys as they would have to redo this dance again in the near future. That should also say something about what the front office thinks of Prescott.  A market deal that you can get out of early sounds ideal for most clubs but not when it involves a man you want for many years.

If the Cowboys want to add more years to the deal, I believe the price has to go up to compensate for future inflation. If the deal locks up Prescott for six or seven years, then the average annual amount must go up to the $37 million dollar range.

This is not a bad signing if the upward trend of quarterback compensation continues to rise. On August 28th, 2017, Stafford signed a record-setting deal. Less than three years later that deal seems more than reasonable for a franchise quarterback.

If the number ends up being $37 million a year, I’m sure others will surpass Prescott’s deal and will also be seen as a reasonable number moving forward.

My prediction is that the Dallas Cowboys sign Dak Prescott to a six-year $222 million dollar deal which would make Dak Prescott the first $200 million dollar player.