Dak Prescott’s contract negotiation with the Cowboys has dragged on and on… and on. The Cowboys are staring Week 1 of the 2024/25 NFL season right in the face but the face of the franchise has still not signed on the dotted line.
Naturally, some Cowboys fans have been getting a little antsy. If both Prescott and Dallas stand pat, this could very well be the three-time Pro Bowler’s final year with the franchise. The expectation is that his contract extension will make him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, which likely means Dallas will have to cough up about $60 million a year to keep Prescott on the roster 2025 onwards.
That number has given Cowboys fans some pause, but Prescott’s teammate Brandin Cooks sent them a stern warning which essentially reads: ‘Be careful what you wish for.’
Regarding the media’s criticism of his quaterback, Cooks told Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr. on Wednesday night:
“It’s blasphemy. It’s unbelievable. The guy shows up every year, year in and year out. Putting up numbers, leading his team. He can’t do it all by himself.
“A lot of those great quarterbacks that I’ve been with, Tom (Brady) and Drew (Brees), don’t get me wrong, they won a lot of games, won a lot of Super Bowls, but they had a lot of help around them as well, right?”
After the initial conversation, Cooks warned Cowboys fans:
At this point, the Cowboys simply have to make Dak Prescott the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. Considering the rising salary cap and how far the two parties are in negotiations, the simple solution here would be lock the All-Pro QB down long-term.
Spotrac projects Dak Prescott’s next contract value at a four-year, $220 million extension which puts his market value at $55 million overall.
The problem is that all of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love are currently earning $55 million overall. Any deal for Prescott will need to trump that annual average value.
The Cowboys appear to be hesitant committing that much money considering their Super Bowl drought is now 28 years and counting. But for what it’s worth, franchise legend Michael Irvin believes Dallas is going about this the wrong way.
On FS1’s ‘Speak,’ Irvin said:
“Dallas, I think is making a bad decision here, because I say lock him down five, six years. Let’s get this out of the way and finish with this so you’re not running by this mountain again.”