Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has inadvertently made headlines on Thursday following a big report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz. 

"(Dak) is going to get between $55 and $60 million (per year)," Schultz said on FS1. "We've already seen Joe Burrow get that 55 number, Dak Prescott has an opportunity to reset it, I think the floor is around $55 million."

The report has taken over the Cowboys' news cycle, which makes sense given it's quarterback contract news around the Cowboys quarterback, the most polarizing position in the league. 

However, this bit of news should surprise no one who has been paying attention. First off, let's talk about the actual decision to stick with Dak for years to come: As much as Cowboys fans have debated Prescott's level in the NFL, there's just no question anymore.

Prescott is a legit franchise QB who is playing his best football under Mike McCarthy. Just weeks ago, he was the front runner for MVP in plain December. Every stat you look at (whether you're into traditional stats like touchdowns and interceptions or advanced metrics like EPA/play) shows you the undeniable truth: He's one of the very best in the league at the most important position in sports.

Meanwhile, QB needy teams are struggling (as always) to find the correct answer for their future. It's a non-debate. The Cowboys absolutely will stick with Prescott for the long-term future. And they should. 

Now, let's talk about the timing of it: Although Prescott already has a deal in place for 2024 in theory, the upcoming offseason was always going to be the latest when an extension would take place. Per Over The Cap, his cap hit for next year is set to be $59.4 million. That's a number that has to change as it's extremely high and since the deal is out of years to make a restructure make sense, only an extension can fix the dilemma.

With all that out of the way, let's discuss the numbers Schultz had to offer. Many fans will inevitably and predictably argue that "Sure, Dak is solid, but signing him for that amount of money!? Heck no!" We do this every year with quarterbacks.

Heck, we did it with Prescott back in 2021 when he signed for $40 million per year for a then-record $126M guaranteed. Prescott immediately became one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league at $40M per year in average value. Less than three years later, he's down to  11th in the NFL.

You can complain all you want about quarterbacks becoming the highest-paid guys at their positions. It just will stop mattering years a few years later. 

"Both sides are highly motivated," Schultz added. "Don't forget, he's a no-trade and no-tag clause, he has all the leverage. (…) I was just at the owners' meetings in Dallas, there's no question that both Dak and Dallas, Jerry, want to get this thing done."

 Hopefully, it's not a dramatic offseason in 2024 and instead the Cowboys and Prescott rip the Band-Aid off by just getting it done. In the meantime, though, Dak could seriously bump that price with a deep playoff run. Buckle up, y'all.

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