The Dallas Cowboys haven't reached the NFC Championship Game in any of Dak Prescott's seven seasons as the starting quarterback, but that doesn't mean the franchise isn't committed to him for the long haul.
Two years after signing a four-year, $160 million extension with Prescott, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones would like to extend the quarterback again.
"We've got to have a plan to ultimately extend Dak," Jones said, via ESPN. "I've got all the faith in the world we can win this thing with Dak. Because we know him. We know what he's about. His leadership skills are undeniable. Impeccable work ethic. Other than he hadn't won some key playoff games, he's everything you want in a quarterback. From the day he walked in the door, he's won a lot of games. We just got to get over the hump."
Prescott is tied with Matthew Stafford for the seventh-highest average quarterback salary in the NFL at $40 million per season, signing his massive extension in 2021. Only Patrick Mahomes had a higher contract than Prescott at the time he signed his extension ($45 million per season), and Prescott will be outside the top 10 in quarterback average annual salaries once Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson ultimately sign their contract extensions -- all certainly to be higher than $40 million per season.
Should the Cowboys be in a rush to sign Prescott? Not only does Prescott have two seasons remaining on his contract, but he is 30 years old and coming off arguably the worst season of his career. How significant of a pay raise should Prescott receive after a season which he was tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions despite missing five games.
Prescott completed 66.2% of his passes for 2,860 yards with 23 touchdowns to 15 interceptions on the year (91.1 rating). The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback has led the Cowboys to a 61-36 record in the games he's started with four playoff appearances (three NFC East titles) in seven seasons. In the postseason, Prescott has completed 63.4% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions (92.3 rating), but has just a 2-4 postseason record and hasn't advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Cowboys appear comfortable extending Prescott with the quarterback contracts -- and salary cap -- going up. Perhaps they want to get a jump on a pay raise before the market inflates.
