5 NFL quarterbacks who are now borderline unaffordable after Dak Prescott's contract

Jerry Jones knew what he was doing all along. Rather than get out ahead of this, he wanted to steal another headline in the immediate lead-up to Week 1. The Dallas Cowboys did the smart and logical thing by extending franchise quarterback Dak Prescott to a new deal. It will be a four-year deal worth $240 million. This means that he will be making $60 million annually over the life of this new contract.

It was expected that Prescott would reset the market on his new contract, just like he did four years ago when he made $40 million in average annual value on his previous deal. Prescott may not be the very best quarterback in the world, but he is the same caliber of player necessary to reset the market. If your starting quarterback is as good as Prescott or better, then he should be the one to reset it all.

So what I am going to do right now is list five franchise quarterbacks who are now underpaid after seeing what Prescott is slated to pull in. Most of these guys have made big money before, but might be as critical to their teams' offensive success as Prescott is to the Cowboys. Not all are going to end up making more than Prescott when it comes to their next pay day, but they need to get a bump soon.

Let's start with a guy who has actually won a Super Bowl and has a better case of getting to Canton.

5. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford

I may be grasping at straws a bit with Matthew Stafford getting another big deal, but he should still have a few more high-quality years left in the tank in the twilight of his borderline Pro Football Hall of Fame career out of Georgia. He has a Super Bowl ring from his first year with the Los Angeles Rams. Even though he was paid handsomely as a rookie out of UGA, he is worth more than $40 million AAV.

The reason why Stafford may become unaffordable for the Rams is for the price, I don't think he needs to be pulling in over $60 million annually. Los Angeles is entering its first year without Aaron Donald as the face of its defense. Much of its coaching staff left to be a part of Raheem Morris' first staff in Atlanta. Sean McVay remains, but he's only as good as his quarterback talent allows him to be.

Stafford is under contract for the next three seasons. He may ride off into the sunset after that, but you have to wonder if he still wants to keep on playing beyond the 2026 NFL season. While he may have the numbers to get to Canton, he needs a few more accolades to make that dream a reality. Unfortunately, I do not think the Rams will want to pay him what he could conceivably command.

Prescott's extension may eventually price Stafford out of Los Angeles if he does not retire in 2027.

4. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray

While it may be a while before Kyler Murray gets a new deal with the Arizona Cardinals, how sure are we The Bidwills will want to pay him top-of-the-market money? He is immensely talented, but can also be immensely frustrating. Regardless, he seems to be much happier playing for Jonathan Gannon than he was for Kliff Kingsbury. Murray has age on his side when it comes to surpassing Prescott.

Right now, Murray is average $46.1 million annually over the life of his current contract. It runs through the 2028 NFL season, meaning he is probably going to hold out at some point because he is not anywhere close to the top of the market. Again, I don't know if he is as good as Prescott is, or as good as he thinks he is, but Murray is a marketable star in the league, and the best Arizona has got!

My big concern with Murray after this Prescott mega-extension is if it ends up setting up a potential divorce between the star quarterback and the Cardinals. His last contract negotiations were incredibly mean-spirited. I am still kind of shocked that both parties were able to make it work. Time heals all wounds, but we have to wonder if re-opening them would be a good idea for this franchise.

Time is on the Cardinals' side to do right by Murray, but he also has to play well under this contract.

3. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes

I don't think there is any chance that Patrick Mahomes will ever play for another franchise, but anytime some other quarterback gets to reset the market, he should look to his representation and say, "How can I make up the difference?" Mahomes is the most marketable player of his generation. He has three Super Bowl rings on his resume. My question is will the Kansas City Chiefs still pay up.

Right now, Mahomes is making $45 million annually on a deal that runs through 2031. I am sure that he will get a restructure at some point, but taking a hometown discount is only going to sound like a great idea for so long. It may be what it takes to sustain excellence for the rest of the decade and beyond, but it just doesn't sit right with me that Mahomes continues to be so underpaid all the time.

We know that the Chiefs prioritize paying their players over upgrading the franchise's declining facilities. In time, the Chiefs are going to have to get a new stadium, which I think could get in the way of them paying all of their best players what they are worth. Mahomes will never leave this franchise, but you have to wonder what could conceivably happen when their tailwinds do become headwinds.

I don't really sense a long-term issue here with Mahomes and the Chiefs, but he is still so underpaid.

2. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud

This is the one I really have my eyes on. I think C.J. Stroud could be a generational superstar for the Houston Texans. He really set the league on fire during his rookie year out of Ohio State last season. Again, he is only entering year two of his rookie contract, so the Texans will have plenty of time to figure out how to pay him, assuming he continues to play at this high level. He may make $70 million.

Right now, Stroud only makes a shade over $9 million annually. The Texans do not have to pay him big money this year or really think about a mega extension until after his fourth season in the league in 2026. By that time, we have no idea what the going rate will be for a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. Right this instant, Stroud might already be a top-10 quarterback in the league. Let's keep an eye out.

Ultimately, Houston should know all too well that it must pay a player of Stroud's caliber top-of-the-market money whenever it is his turn to get paid. Then again, it was a tumultuous series of events that manifested in Deshaun Watson getting all of that money half a decade ago from them. That is still fresh in the mind of the Texans organization. Stroud is not Watson, but he could be paid like he did.

I suspect that the Texans will find a way to pay Stroud handsomely, but that could hurt roster depth.

1. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen

Of all the teams that could be hurt the most by Dak Prescott's mega extension, it would have to be the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen has had comparable postseason and regular season success as Prescott, but he is slightly younger and more talented. Simply put, if Prescott is deemed to be good enough to be a market resetter, then that has to mean Allen is as well. The big question is if the Bills will pay up.

Allen may be under contract through the 2028 NFL season, but he is only making a tick over $43 million in terms of average annual value. This ranks him 14th in the league. People view him as a top-five, or even top-three quarterback in this league. Bills football is everything in Western New York, but you have to wonder if Buffalo can afford to pay him, despite playing in a bottom-four media market.

To be honest, Allen should command at least $20 million more annually on his next deal going away. That number will only rise, but you have to remember that Allen is getting older, too. More importantly, the Bills could be another year removed from having a great offensive coordinator in his ear. I like Joe Brady, but Brian Daboll seems to have been the guy to have tamed this bucking bronco from before.

Keep in mind this team traded away Stefon Diggs still in his prime to an AFC Super Bowl contender.