Does the Dallas Cowboys quarterback qualify as elite?

While the social media world debates over which side to support, the question arises whether Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott is elite.

Fair or not, perception is reality. In the world of big business and media attention, a rumor, truthful, or false can set the primary public’s perception. No entity is absolved of this fact, not even one of the most financially lucrative franchises in all of professional sports such as the Dallas Cowboys.

Regarding the ongoing saga of quarterback Dak Prescott and his negotiations to secure a long-term contract, it was reported this week that he turned down $175 million from his current employer. Whether you want to believe the local or national-level reporting, this has already been rebuked.

So, while middle-level sources peddle stories to obtain clicks, in this day and age, all it takes is one report to turn perception into reality. Regardless of the truth, this “story” is just one in a long line of many perpetrated to put one party in this very public negotiation in a negative light. Of course, this whole situation made me wonder just one thing.

Where does Dak Prescott fairly rank amongst his peers? To answer this question means we are all needing to buckle up one more time to ride one person’s opinion regarding tiers and the moniker of “elite” as it pertains to the most overly scrutinized position in all of professional sport.

When those of us who have never once thrown a pass in the National Football League attempt to judge who is superior to whom, we all have our own personal criteria. Whether you value what a player has done, might do, is currently doing, we all have one reason or another to put players on pedestals that are quite indiscriminate. If you decided to click on this article, you’ve essentially signed up to hear my particular point of view.

In the following three pages, you are about to see my rankings of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. All of the players I’m about to rank threw 175 or more passes in 2019. Just for kicks, I also threw in the four players drafted in the first round of last month’s draft and one guy nearing the end of his career.

My rankings account for recent performance, past performances, age, durability, money owed, and potential. These rankings will go from worst to first, so without any further ado, we are about to see if Dallas Cowboys quarterback should be considered “elite.”