The Cowboys have been playing hardball this offseason with their three stars who want new contracts — Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper. While they have maintained all along they intend on keeping all three players, the Cowboys have also said they won’t set the market when it comes to new highs at their positions.
Well, while the latest news on Prescott’s contract seems to verify the second fact, it does appear the Cowboys are willing to make Dak one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, which seems high for a guy who isn’t one of the best in terms of talent or numbers.
For reference, $30 million per year on average is what Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan earns on his current deal, making that the sixth-richest contract among NFL quarterbacks in terms of average salary.
While Dak Prescott has done admirably in his three years filling the gap left by Tony Romo, he has still yet to top his rookie highs of 23 touchdown passes, 67.8 percent completion rate, eight yards per completion, and only four interceptions. By contrast, Ryan threw for 35 touchdowns in 2018 with a 69.4 percent completion rate.
For Prescott to be offered a Matt Ryan-level contract at all was a bit of a stretch for the Cowboys, although Lombardi’s tweet does not rule out the possibility that Dak is sparring over guaranteed upfront money and not the contract’s average annual value.
We’ll see what ultimately happens with Dak and the Cowboys, but based on the latest rumor, they’re willing to overpay for Dak, even if he thinks he’s worth more.
