Dak Prescott’s value is only going to rise this season

Dak Prescott is almost certainly going to get paid more than what he’s earning now

Much of the Dallas Cowboys offseason talk has been centered around contract talks with quarterback Dak Prescott. The two sides have so far failed to come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension, resulting in a signed franchise tender worth $31.409 million for the 2020-21 NFL season.

Assuming a long-term deal can’t be reached by the July 15th deadline, Prescott will be playing with no financial safety net. But does it matter?

Regardless of what happens this coming season, Dak Prescott will almost certainly be paid like a top tier quarterback. It may not be with the Cowboys but you can bet some team, desperate for a Pro Bowl quarterback, will throw him an offer similar to the one he’s seeking.

We don’t know what that number is exactly, but we’ve heard rumors that he wants to be paid $40 million per year. Most would agree that’s probably more than what he’s actually worth but quarterback is a position where market value often supersedes on the field performance. With that in mind, the idea that the Cowboys will somehow get a better deal by waiting a season is asinine.

From the outside looking it, it seems as though the Cowboys are hesitant to commit to Dak Prescott on a long term basis because they aren’t sure if he’s truly the man for the job. Perhaps they want to see if he’s capable of elevating his game under new head coach Mike McCarthy. If he takes a step forward and McCarthy likes what he has in the soon-to-be 27-year-old, maybe the Cowboys do decide to give into Prescott’s demands and make him a $40 million-per-year quarterback.

But let’s make one thing clear, even if Dallas ultimately decides to part ways with Prescott, he’ll still get paid. Barring any serious career-threatening injury, Prescott is almost certain to have another career season under center.

With the talent he’s surrounded with on offense, there’s a very good chance Prescott will replicate or even top his career high stats from 2019, especially if quarterback guru Mike McCarthy can work his magic. Even if the Cowboys fail to make the playoffs, another solid season of stats will be enough to earn him a pay day.

At the end of next season, if Dallas is still unsure, they could use the franchise tag on him for a second-consecutive season. That would put him around $40 million anyway, so at that point the value needle starts to shift in Prescott’s favor anyway.

But let’s say Dak Prescott has a down year; it’s something that’s very hard to imagine seeing as how the Cowboys have one of the most talented offenses in the NFL on paper. But let’s pretend that even with Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and an incredibly efficient offensive line that Prescott underperforms. I don’t think one bad season will tarnish his body of work up to this point.

Dak Prescott is is a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. He’s proven he can not only lead a team to the playoffs, but win too. He has nearly a 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio and career 97.0 quarterback rating. He’s also entering the prime of his career.

As far as market value, he’s almost guaranteed to become at least a $35 million per season quarterback, probably even higher. If the Cowboys believe he’s their future, they’ll pay it. If not, someone else will. Dak Prescott is going to get paid next year, despite what happens this season. Unless the two sides come to a deal before July 15, of course.