SAN ANTONIO – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is about to enter the final season of his rookie contract that will pay him $2.025 million in 2018.
The Cowboys know they have been getting the deal of a lifetime with Prescott since he was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft averaging $680,000 per season - a meager sum for a franchise quarterback. But since the Cowboys decided to make him the new face of the franchise, the team is now going all in on a contract that would make Prescott the highest paid player in Cowboys' history.
The number being thrown around for Prescott's salary is $30 million per year, with Prescott's representatives pushing for $34 million. But is the Mississippi State product worth such a sum?
It all boils down to the going rate for quarterbacks in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles may be the Cowboys rival, but actually might've done Prescott a favor when they signed Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million deal, $107 million of which is guaranteed. That works out to $32 million per year.
Prescott's agent will argue that Dak has won more games than Wentz 33-23 and has never missed a game in three years in a Cowboys uniform. That is a player who is more comparable to Prescott since they were both rookies in 2016, even though Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger both signed new extensions for $35 million and $34 million per season, respectively.
In his three years with the Cowboys, Prescott has performed well, throwing for 10,876 yards and 67 touchdowns with only 25 interceptions, including a career-low four in his rookie season where he earned his highest quarterback rating of 104.9. But Prescott won't be judged on how many touchdowns he throws, how many division titles he wins or for that matter, how much money he will make.
He will be judged by Cowboys fans and NFL history on how far he can take Dallas in the playoffs and so far he has fallen short of the expectations associated with this deal of a lifetime. Only a return to the NFC championship game will lift Prescott close to the level of Troy Aikman, the last Cowboys quarterback to lead Dallas to not only the NFC championship game but to three Super Bowl titles
It's been 23 years since the Cowboys hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. If Prescott can bring home the franchise's sixth title, Cowboys fans would say Prescott's new deal is worth every penny.