The Cowboys made a mistake waiting to sign Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys made a mistake by delaying a deal with quarterback Dak Prescott. Now, they must face the consequences of their actions.

It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys have been trying to sign Dak Prescott to a long-term deal since the 2019 offseason.

It was the subject of much talk during the regular season, where Prescott led the No. 1 ranked offense in the NFL. During and after games, social media posts and reporters across the sports world would repeat the same phrase: Pay Dak.

But a deal did not come to fruition during the season. With roughly a month till Prescott becomes a free agent, sources from inside the Cowboys organization are saying a deal with the superstar quarterback is “urgent.”

Contrary to the rumors, it appears Prescott is the man in Dallas for the foreseeable future. However, had they had signed him to a deal last year, they might been able to get that talent and leadership at a decent price.

But with all the quarterback deals that have happened since then, the Cowboys are going to have to put up major money to keep Prescott.

In the last year, we’ve seen some major quarterback deals that have redefined the market. In April 2019, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson became the highest-paid player at his position when he agreed to a $140 million deal over four years. In June, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz signed a four-year, $128 million pact, good for $32 million per year. In September, Jared Goff and the Rams agreed to a $134 million, four-year extension. An annual value of $33.5 million.

Prescott is going to lobby for more than Wentz and Goff and have good cases. Wentz has never won a playoff game. Goff has, but his production dropped off severely in 2019. Add in the rising salary cap, and Prescott will eclipse both those annual totals when he eventually signs.

Had Dallas been proactive and signed Prescott prior to those aforementioned deals, it could have potentially landed him around $30-31 million per year.

Those deals last season changed the game for Dallas, but there’s another game-changer on the horizon: Patrick Mahomes. The Super Bowl MVP QB will also be negotiating an extension with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. And analysts expect Mahomes’ contract to shatter Wilson’s record. Prescott isn’t worth the same price as Mahomes, but if the Cowboys let this linger, it’s one more thing that raises the bar.

The longer this stretches out for the Cowboys, the more money they will have to pay if they want their quarterback to stick around.