Dallas Cowboys: 10 thoughts on the Dak Prescott deal
The Dallas Cowboys took the sports world by storm when it was announced that the team agreed to terms on a contract with Dak Prescott. The two sides have been negotiating for multiple offseasons, and it all led to Monday night. Prescott inked a deal that includes the highest signing bonus in NFL history at […]
The Dallas Cowboys took the sports world by storm when it was announced that the team agreed to terms on a contract with Dak Prescott. The two sides have been negotiating for multiple offseasons, and it all led to Monday night.
Prescott inked a deal that includes the highest signing bonus in NFL history at $66 million. The four-year contract also includes $126 million guaranteed. All in all, Dak Prescott is now the second-highest paid player in league history. Only Patrick Mahomes has signed a richer deal.
Dallas is now secured at the most important position in all of sports. That is huge moving forward, as that was a cloud hanging over the franchise for the past couple of offseasons.
Here are some thoughts concerning the newsworthy deal.
1.) The Dallas Cowboys are committed to Dak Prescott.
There is no question about this. The contract revealed how the Cowboys feel about their franchise quarterback.
The deal makes Prescott one of the two highest-paid players ever. It shows that Dallas is fully committed to having Prescott as its face of the franchise. Prescott has led the Cowboys 42 wins, two NFC East titles, and a playoff victory over Russell Wilson.
So, that's a pretty smart move.
2.) Cowboys are not worried about Prescott's recovery.
Dak Prescott suffered a gruesome injury to his ankle in the week five win over the New York Giants. The compound fracture and dislocation to his ankle ended Prescott's season and left many wondering what was next for Prescott and the Cowboys.
There had been many reports speculating about where Prescott's rehab process stood. Some voiced concern about Prescott making a full recovery, while recent reports suggested that Prescott could be 100% by April.
It was hard to know where Prescott truly stood without being in the building. However, the contract that both sides agreed to makes it obvious that the Cowboys have no concern about their quarterback's health.
3.) Cowboys offense is set for the foreseeable future.
The Dallas Cowboys have the core of their offense locked and loaded for the next few seasons. Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Ezekiel Elliott are all under contract through at least the 2024 season.
With the exception of wide receiver Michael Gallup, the Cowboys are pretty set at the skill positions. Blake Jarwin will be under contract for the foreseeable future and should be back healthy for the upcoming season.
Dallas has one of the most explosive and highest-scoring offenses with Prescott behind center. That should continue to be the case now that the contract is finally done.
4.) Dallas saved money by getting a deal done.
Believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys are in a much better financial situation today than they were over the weekend. Why? Because Dak Prescott's cap-hit for the 2021 season is significantly lower than what it would have been on the franchise tag.
The tag would have made Prescott's cap-hit a whopping $37 million in 2021. Instead, it is around the $22 million mark now. That is less than Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
In fact, the Eagles are paying more for Wentz to not play for them next season than what the Cowboys are paying Prescott in year-one of his new deal.
5.) Cowboys must build around its quarterback.
The easy, lazy take is that the Cowboys cannot do anything else to build the roster now that they signed Prescott to a record-setting deal. That could not be further from the truth.
As mentioned above, the Cowboys are actually saving money in the front of Prescott's contract. By the time his cap-hit rises, the salary cap is expected to be higher than it ever has been. Therefore, Dallas cannot use this an excuse from going out and filling out the roster with quality NFL players.
Additionally, the Cowboys' front office — namely Will McClay — has been credited for their draft evaluations. Now is the time to hit in the draft and add cheap contracts to the team.
6.) Other teams will be forced to pay top-dollar to its QB.
The Cowboys are not the only team that has to pay big money to its quarterback. Kansas City and Houston just inked their quarterbacks to big money deals, albeit Deshaun Watson looks to be on his way out sooner than later.
Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield are three quarterbacks that are soon up for new deals in the not-so-distant future. That means that the Ravens, Bills, and Browns will be forced to hand out a hefty contract to their signal-caller or risk being without a quarterback.
It feels nice to not have to worry about all of that any time soon.
7.) The NFC East is the Cowboys to win.
Washington has a stellar front seven on the defensive side of the ball. The Giants have some interesting pieces. Philadelphia will turn to Jalen Hurts to get back in playoff contention.
All of that said, the Cowboys are the clear-cut top team in the division. Had Prescott stayed healthy last season, Dallas likely wins the NFC East going away. Dallas winning the division in 2021 should be expected at this point.
Washington has serious question marks at quarterback, and it is unclear where Ron Rivera will turn to solve those issues. Daniel Jones just doesn't strike much fear in the division, and the Giants don't have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Cowboys. The Eagles are simply just a hot pile of garbage at this point.
The Cowboys must take advantage of the weak division and get back into the postseason next season.
8.) Two of the four-highest paid quarterbacks fell in their draft.
The four highest-paid quarterbacks in the National Football League are as followed:
- Patrick Mahomes — $45 million/year
- Dak Prescott — $40 million/year
- Deshaun Watson — $39 million/year
- Russell Wilson — $35 million/year
Only Mahomes (10th overall in 2017) was a top-10 pick in their respective draft. Watson was picked 12th overall, so that is pretty high as well. Prescott and Wilson, though, slid on draft weekend.
Wilson was selected in the third-round of the 2012 NFL Draft — the draft class that was headlined by Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Prescott was selected in the fourth-round in 2016; Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were considered the top passers in that draft.
Both are considered some of the elite leaders in the NFL, and both consistently play with a chip on their shoulder. Wilson and Prescott have way outplayed their draft status.
9.) Prescott will be under a bigger microscope — if that is possible.
The quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is perhaps the most iconic position in all of sports. Perhaps only shortstop for the New York Yankees compares. That means that Prescott — and the quarterbacks before him — are consistently in the spotlight.
Every mistake is exaggerated and every loss is scrutinized. ESPN purposefully talks about the Cowboys around the clock because it drives in ratings. Jerry Jones certainly encourages it, too.
That said, the microscope is about to get even bigger for Dak Prescott. The contract that has made him the second highest-paid player in NFL history will bring more criticism than ever before.
If anybody is capable of flourishing in that environment, it is Dak Prescott.
10.) At last, we can finally turn our attention elsewhere.
This contract saga has been in the news cycle for the better part of the last two years. Many were wondering if the two sides were ever going to agree to terms on a deal, or if the Cowboys would soon be looking for a new quarterback.
There is no getting around the fact that the Cowboys misplayed this badly. They could have saved a ton of money by inking Prescott two offseasons ago, but Dallas didn't get it done. Instead, the contract situation was discussed nearly daily by local and national outlets.
Finally, the contract is done. Dak Prescott is the man in Dallas. That much is clear. Now, we can argue about something else.
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
