Over the past decade, the NFL has become more quarterback-driven as offenses have shifted their focus to high-octane passing attacks. This shift in offensive philosophy has led to the emergence of new star quarterbacks signing record-breaking contracts. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes set the market for the position in 2020 when he signed a 10-year extension worth $503 million. Since Mahomes signed his extension, each time a quarterback signs an extension or a new deal, it seems they want to reset the market. That will be no different for Dak Prescott as he looks for a contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys.
Although Prescott and his team believe the Cowboys should reset the quarterback market when they re-sign him, it’s not that simple, as the Cowboys have a lot to consider. Currently, they are in negotiations with Linebacker Micah Parsons and Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb, who both command big money. Additionally, the Cowboys must look at Prescott’s career in totality and decide if he can finally get them to the Super Bowl. This is a feat that Prescott has yet to accomplish, even though he had great statistical seasons and won the league MVP. The Cowboys under Prescott just seem to struggle in the big moments,
Factors to consider for Dak Prescott’s Contract extension
1. Success against teams that finish the season with a record over .500
One of the Cowboys biggest weaknesses during Prescott’s time with the team has been their ability to beat teams that end up finishing the season with records above .500. Since 2016, Prescott has led the Cowboys to a winning percentage of 47.37% (27-30 ) against winning teams. While winning in the NFL is not an easy task, teams expect their quarterback to play up to the competition. Prescott has consistently failed to do that.
One of the worst examples of this was last season when the Cowboys visited Buffalo in week 15 and got dominated 31-10. Entering this game, the Bills were banged up and fighting for their playoff lives, so the Cowboys were heavy favorites. However, what ended up happening was that the Bills defensive line and injured secondary locked down the Cowboys’ offense. Although it could be argued this loss isn’t all Prescott’s fault, when a team is struggling, they need their quarterback to elevate them. Prescott has shown over and over again an inability to do that against winning teams throughout his career.
2. Playoff Success
The most important measure of a quarterback’s success in the NFL is playoff success, with the end goal being Super Bowl championships. Prescott’s playoff success doesn’t paint a great picture for him, as he is 2-5 in the playoffs. Most of the Cowboys playoff losses with Prescott have been 3-7 point defeats. However, Prescott’s performance varies within each of these defeats.
In 2016, which was Prescott’s rookie season, he completed 63.2% of his passes and threw for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a 34-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Their next defeat was in the 2018 divisional round, 30-22. Prescott completed 62.5% of his passes and threw for 266 yards and one touchdown against a stout Los Angeles Rans defense.
Although Prescott looked good in his first two playoff losses, his next three weren’t as pretty. In 2021 and 2022, Presscott’s Cowboys were eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers. In those two games, Prescott had a combined completion percentage of 57.5%, threw for 460 yards( 254 and 206), two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Those stats are more the reason the Cowboys lost than they were in his first two losses.
The last playoff appearance the Cowboys had was this season when they got dominated 48-32 by the Green Bay Packers at home. Now, not all of this can be blamed on Prescott, as the Cowboys’ defense was taken advantage of. Prescott’s contribution to the Cowboys’ failure was throwing two interceptions and playing badly in the first half. Looking past that, the stats are inflated, so they look better. He ended the game with a 68.3% completion percentage(41/60), 403 yards, and three touchdowns. While the stats may not mean much, Prescott finished the second half better.
With all his big game failures, Prescott’s days in Dallas might be numbered.
Main Photo: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
