It’s been 30 years since the Dallas Cowboys were defending Super Bowl champions, but with Dak Prescott playing the best football of his career, the window is open again, even if one Cowboys legend believes Prescott doesn’t need to be the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback to get them back.
Troy Aikman recently appeared on KDFW Fox 4 in Dallas with sports anchor Sam Gannon to discuss how America’s Team can return to the NFL’s gold standard. One example he pointed to was Tom Brady taking pay cuts to prioritize the New England Patriots’ roster.
After winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots (seven in total), it's safe to say that approach paid off. While Aikman did not suggest Prescott do that, he made a salient point about the Cowboys having so much invested in their offense with Prescott making $60 million per year.
"Tom understood that if he gave up a little bit and it made the team stronger and they won, that he would more than make up for whatever he was giving up in salary off the field or in other ways. I'm not suggesting that Dak should do that, I'm just saying when you're paying CeeDee near the top of the market, George Pickens with the franchise tag, you're directing all of your energy and resources on offense, there's going to be some holes."
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott should heed Troy Aikman's advice
Tom Brady’s willingness to take less set the tone for the “Patriot Way” and helped the front office build a balanced roster. The Cowboys are far from that standard, and it raises the question of whether Prescott will ever follow that blueprint.
Even when the Patriots didn't draft particularly well, Brady was still able to make it work with a consistent offensive line, balanced receivers, and a solid enough defense. Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola were arguably less talented compared to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, which goes to show how great Brady was.
It also helped that Brady had an all-time great tight end in Rob Gronkowski, but Prescott has more than enough weapons at his disposal.
With a trusted offensive line and a loaded WR room, Dallas already has the infrastructure in place. If Prescott were to take a hometown discount, it could open the door for impact additions on defense.
That is NOT to put the Cowboys' Super Bowl drought squarely on Prescott. He deserves some share of the blame for his playoff performances. Brady is the exception when it comes to taking less money. He was simply that obsessed with winning at the highest level.
It already takes a village to win a Super Bowl, but as Prescott gets older, it's going to be up to him if he wants to eventually take a pay cut for the team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google