The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a tough situation. They've got a franchise running back in Ezekiel Elliott, a star receiver in Amari Cooper, and a good to great quarterback (depending on who you ask) in Dak Prescott. And all three are nearing the end of their contracts. Having all that talent is nice, but when it comes time to pay, the Cowboys will have to dish out some hefty deals.
A new report emerged today on one of those deals: a multi-year contract for Prescott that would pay around $30 million annually. That's a huge chunk of change, yet Prescott turned it down.
Is he nuts or will this turn out to be a smart move?
Prescott is aided by a couple of other moves that happened this offseason. First, the Seattle Seahawks gave Russell Wilson an unprecedented four-year, $140 million extension with $107 million guaranteed. Just two months later, the Philadelphia Eagles and Carson Wentz agreed to a four-year, $128 million extension, including a record $107.87 million guaranteed.
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That puts Prescott in a position of power. He can point to these deals and ask for a similar amount of money (about two to five million dollars more annually). Another report suggested Prescott wants at least $40 million, though Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio called that report "all-caps false."
Prescott is set to make just $2.7 million thanks to his rookie contract. It's understandable why he'd seek such a massive salary increase. The former Rookie of the Year comes out favorably when compared to Wentz. Prescott has a better career completion percentage, QB rating, and has thrown fewer interceptions despite starting 11 more games.
With Wentz making so much per year, Prescott has no reason to stop negotiating until he gets a price he feels is fair.
While $40 million annually might be a stretch, Prescott will almost certainly get more than $30 million per year. We'll just have to see how much – and for how many years.
