Dak’s deal: Is he worth it?

1 year ago
5
4 mins read
Dak's deal: Is he worth it?

Good ol’ Dak Prescott is the bane of some fan’s entire fandom. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league to other fans, and they believe the Cowboys will not find anyone better.

One thing I know for sure is Prescott is a top-five quarterback in this league if you go by statistics, during the season.

Dak's deal: Is he worth it? 1

Regular season vs. post-season

During the regular season, Prescott has a record of 73-41, a career 99.0 quarterback rating, and 202 touchdown passes with 74 interceptions. He had 33 attempts with almost 23 completions and 258 yards per game.

A great quarterback with great in-season statistics.

In the post-season, we see a different quarterback.

The playoffs see a Dallas Cowboys quarterback with two wins and five losses, but we also see his attempts per game (39.4) and his yards per game (280.3) increase.

The increase is not bad, but it also shows Dak Prescott has to do more for his team when it is win or go home.

In the last playoff game alone, we witnessed Prescott throw for over 400 yards in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Prescott will get over the hump in the playoffs, we as a fanbase just have to stick with him.

Ultimately, everything will fall into place, but he must receive support from every aspect, including the coaching staff and defense.

Is Prescott the problem?

Dak Prescott is a phenomenal player and possibly a better person.

He is a three-time Pro Bowl player, Offensive Rookie of the Year, and a Walter Peyton Man of the Year award recipient.

He is consistently one of the top quarterbacks in the league, as talked about earlier, but is he the issue?

Compared to other quarterbacks in the league he is on par statistically and his winning percentage is top-notch. Prescott can lead his team to comeback wins, blowout wins, and head-scratching losses.

Over the last couple of years, the Cowboys have fielded a top passing offense, but the running game has been suspect. Not having a proper running game can lead to decreased time of possession, low red zone percentages, and overall offensive imbalance.

However, if you compare the Cowboys rushing attack to the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs the Cowboys had a better rushing season.

So, that can’t be the problem.

Prescott almost led the team to a comeback win against the Packers, but you know who let the team down… it was the defense, not Dak Prescott.

Rayne Dakota Prescott is not the problem, but always seems to be the scapegoat because he is the quarterback of America’s Team.

Dak Prescott and the good years?

Dak Prescott has haters who say he can’t win games when they matter.

“He can’t be the one,” and other narratives that fans copy from national-level Cowboy haters.

Dak's deal: Is he worth it? 2

One thing is for sure, the Cowboys went through several years of not having good quarterback play. Does anyone remember Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, or Clint Stoerner?

These were not good times to be a Cowboys fan.

Now we have a winning quarterback who can lead a team to wins and fans still are not happy.

A big payday is coming in the near future for Prescott whether it be with the Cowboys or another team.

One thing is for sure, he is worth it.

What is Dak Prescott worth?

The simple answer is “a lot,” but let’s examine the landscape of other quarterback contracts.

Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals:

  • Contract: 5 years, $275 million ($219.01 million in guarantees)
  • Signing bonus: $40 million
  • Average salary: $55 million

Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions:

  • Contract: 5 years, $212 million ($170 million in guarantees)
  • Average salary: $53 million

Justin Herbert of the LA Chargers:

  • Contract: 5 years, $262.5 million ($218.7 million in guarantees)
  • Salary (2024): $6 million
  • Signing bonus: $16.13 million
  • Average annual salary: $52.5 million

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens:

  • Contract: 5 years, $260 million ($185 million in guarantees)
  • Signing bonus: $72.5 million
  • Average annual salary: $52 million

Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles:

  • Contract: 5 years, $255 million ($179.3 million in guarantees)
  • Signing bonus: $23.29 million
  • Average annual salary: $51 million

As we can see the annual salary tops out at $55 million with the floor being $51 million. The quarterbacks who have cashed in with a new contract are all around the age of Prescott.

The only player who might enter the debate as a better passer—excluding running abilities, Lamar—is Joe Burrow.

Burrow’s recent contract is among the latest, so discussions will likely center on his figures.

Prescott will land a contract in the ballpark of $55 million annually for 5 years.

Not a bad contract for a franchise quarterback.

Dak's deal: Is he worth it?

Get it done

As we sit and wait for the Dak Prescott contract or no contract, the fanbase knows one thing: We get Prescott for at least one more year.

For some, it’s a cause for celebration, and for others, it’s a nightmare come true, but as fans of the Cowboys, we’re all riding down the road created by Jerry Jones.

The condition of this road often rivals that of Oklahoma roads, but with some luck, we might avoid the potholes and arrive at our destination with our emotions intact.

Cody Warren

Cody Warren

Cody Warren is an American sports writer for InsideTheStar.com, a prominent website focusing on the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to his writing duties, Cody is also a devoted husband, father, and Law Enforcement Officer with close to two decades of experience in various assignments. Beginning his writing journey at InsideTheStar.com as a Junior Writer, Cody has pursued his passion for sports journalism and is now able to cover his beloved team, America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys.

5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Scott Bensink
Scott Bensink
Jun 11, 2024 12:03 PM

He absolutely is not worth big money!! We need to move on, trade him!

VAM
VAM
Jun 11, 2024 3:00 PM

No, it wasn’t the defense, it was more the TWO FIRST HALF INTs, ONE A PICK6, the other set up GB inside the Cowboy 20 (resulting in a quick and easy 14 points), by DP that mainly put Cowboys in a 27-7 first half hole. Then as usual, when the game was basically over and GB were packing their bags, he gets his empty calorie yards, that some apparently think was an “almost comeback”.

Look, Stoerner started 2 WHOLE games, Leaf started 3 WHOLE games for the Cowboys. Carter screwed himself with off field issues. Not good comparisons. Fans see 8 YEARS with 2-5 playoff record, those being first round wins. All the hype/excuses by some writers/sport MSM talking heads will not change that fact.

AGAIN, first and foremost the weak division, then EE early on and now Lamb made his good regular season record possible. Get back to me after this year is finished and we will see if he is worth another 4/5 years. Been commenting here for years and he hasn’t proved me wrong yet.

BTW, Hurts is 25, Herbert is 26, Jackson and Burrow are 27. In football terms, much younger than DP’s 30.

lonewolfz28
lonewolfz28
Jun 11, 2024 3:23 PM

Yeah, just ignore the slow start and INT thrown by Dak in the Packers game. Yet, blow smoke up the readers’ behinds about how he “almost led a comeback”. The Packers went conservative on offense and defense, letting him come back. As soon as it started getting closer, they clamped down enough to slow the bleeding and still won by 16 points. The Dak led offense managed 0 points in the 1st Qtr, 7 in the 2nd Qtr, 9 in the 3rd Qtr. It wasn’t until the GB D went conservative (with a 48-16 lead) that Dak managed to put up 16 more points.

Granted, the D imploded in the 2nd Qtr as Dan Quinn stubbornly stuck with the changes that he made specifically for this game (man vs zone). Dak giving them a short field to start the 2nd Qtr surely didn’t help.

But, to completely shift the blame off of Dak’s shoulders and onto the D is disingenuous at best.

lonewolfz28
lonewolfz28
Jun 11, 2024 3:32 PM
Reply to  lonewolfz28

Oh, and no player is worth the percentage of the cap that is being bandied about for what Dak’s “team” is expecting for a yearly average salary. Even Pat Mahomes isn’t worth that high of a percentage.

Add in Dak’s BS that he “doesn’t play for money” and there’s absolutely no reason to be asking for that much. The higher percentage he takes, the harder it is to build or even maintain a team around him.

People that go so far out of their way to prop up Dak make me wonder if they are Cowboys fans or Dak fans. Or, are they cowards, too scared to contemplate life after Dak.

Edward Carmichael
Edward Carmichael
Jun 12, 2024 8:19 AM

as a Cowboys fan, Dak Prescott better enjoy the money he’s getting from Jerry Jones because after 2024 when Dak Prescott go’s out in free agency Dak Prescott better not over price himself because he hasn’t won a playoff game

1
Previous Story

Dak Prescott vs Jalen Hurts: Who is the NFC East’s Best QB?

Larry Allen
Next Story

Larry Allen’s Top 3 Career Moments