Dak Prescott is the most underpaid starting quarterback in the NFL and that is about to change. Due to make $2.025 million with the Dallas Cowboys this season, Prescott is set to be a free agent at the end of 2019. Dallas, of course, isn’t going to let that happen.
But negotiating with the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback and 2016 AP Rookie of the Year won’t be a cakewalk. Prescott has made it clear he will not accept a “home town” deal, in spite of the contract situations of multiple teammates.
Dak Prescott: Everyone can "get theirs" with salary cap trending up https://t.co/dDwU4pzDXI
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 11, 2019
“For somebody to say you can only take so much because of the salary cap or you can only do this or that, I don’t know how fair that is to say,” Prescott told USA Today. “…It’s important for all these guys to get every bit of their worth. I want to see Zeke (Elliott) the highest-paid. I want to see Amari (Cooper) the highest-paid. I want to see myself up there. And I don’t think any of that is too far-fetched. Because at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, a year or two later, you’re not going to be the highest-paid. That’s just the way the game goes.”
Prescott has led the Cowboys to the playoffs twice in three seasons and has a regular season record of 32-16. Dallas’ 24-22 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game was their first postseason win since 2014.
PFF highest-graded QBs since 2011:
Tom Brady
Drew Brees
Aaron Rodgers
Matt Ryan
Ben Roethlisberger
Russell Wilson
Peyton Manning
Philip Rivers
Andrew Luck
Matthew Stafford
Alex Smith
Tony Romo
Carson Wentz
Dak Prescott
Cam Newton— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) July 9, 2019
The quarterback holds all the cards, ironically, because of his draft status as a 2016 fourth round pick. There is no fifth-year option for Dallas to claim and he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season without a new deal. If the Cowboys hit him with the franchise tag, they’ll still likely have to pay him $30 million in 2020, a deal he would certainly take on a per-year basis. If they have to fork out that much anyway, why not make it a long-term contract?
Prescott and the Cowboys have been in negotiations for a while now, but have yet to come close to an agreement.
