Dak Prescott is currently set to play the 2024-25 season on the final year of a four-year contract worth $160 million that he signed in 2021, with the potential to re-sign with the Cowboys on a longer contract before the next offseason.
It remains unclear what a potential Prescott contract would look like if the two sides can come to an agreement, but recent signings of high-level quarterbacks could provide a starting point.
Detroit Lion quarterback Jared Goff opted to re-sign with the team on a four-year contract worth $212 million for an annual average salary of $53 million.
The most recent signing was Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who agreed to an extension worth $275 million over five years, with an average annual value of $55 million.
Although Lawrence (24) is much younger than Prescott (30), his play on the field has been similar, although Prescott outperforms Lawrence in multiple major categories.
Prescott finished the 2023-24 regular season with 36 passing touchdowns and only nine interceptions while also logging 4,516 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 72.7 during his 17 games.
Meanwhile, Lawrence threw for 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, clocking 4,016 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 56.1 in 16 games.
Jacksonville also missed the playoffs after accumulating a record of 9-8, while Dallas finished the year as the second seed in the NFC with a record of 12-5.
Although Prescott has performed well during the eight regular seasons he played as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, many have presented concerns about his playoff performance.
Prescott has led the Cowboys to seven playoff games and averaged 280.29 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception per game; however, he also led the team to two wins and five losses during those appearances.
The most recent memory of the team in the postseason came during the 2024 NFL Playoffs, in which the Green Bay Packers dominated the Cowboys 48-32 during a Wild Card game in AT&T Stadium, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
This lack of success has led many to bring up concerns that Prescott is worth a top-tier contract, with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently saying that Prescott “folds like a cheap tent” during the playoffs.
“Dak Prescott doesn’t deserve to get paid more than Trevor Lawrence,” Smith said, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
“Trevor Lawrence has been in this league for three years, Dak Prescott has been in the league for eight. Dak Prescott got two playoff victories in eight years and continuously falters come postseason time.”
These concerns do not seem to be relevant throughout the Cowboys’ organization, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the team has indicated that re-signing the quarterback is at the top of its list of priorities.
“The Cowboys have a world of problems here financially with three players they have to sign — Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb as well—but the feeling around the league and sources I’ve talked to is that they want to start with Dak,” he explained, per Bleacher Report.
“They’ve put it on the table with Dak’s people that ‘Hey look, you’re a priority. We want to try to get something done.’ As far as hard dollars, not a lot of progress yet. I would describe their efforts so far as passive.”
