Why the Dallas Cowboys must re-sign Dak Prescott LONG-TERM, ASAP
By Reid Hanson
Every day that goes by, the price tag for Dak Prescott goes up, that’s why signing him to a long-term deal as soon as possible is in the Dallas Cowboys’ best interests.
As Dallas Cowboys fans know all-too-well, the quarterback is the most important position in the NFL game. For those following the recent trends, the passing game and ability to stop a passing game are the biggest determining factor in success. It shouldn’t be surprising either. The rules are stacked in the passing game’s favor.
Dak Prescott is entering the final year in his rookie deal, and while we know the Dallas Cowboys intend on re-signing him, we don’t know when they plan to do it and for how long the deal will be. Here’s why it’s wise to do the deal immediately and for as long as possible…
Why sooner is better than later
We know the Dallas Cowboys are going to re-sign Dak. Fans can argue whether or not he deserves it all they want, but I think we’ve all accepted it’s happening regardless. What we’re discussing today is the timing and length of such a deal.
Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes expected to sign a record deal when eligible in 2020 that shapes up as the NFL’s first $200 million contract, per sources.https://t.co/S5mSjOSMke
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2019
With Patrick Mahomes looking to turn the market on its head, the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to sign Dak before all the numbers get skewed. Each new deal is based on the most recent comparable contracts. Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, and Jared Goff are all looking for new mega deals in the next few months as well. Waiting for these enormous numbers will only do harm to the Dallas Cowboys’ bottom line. That’s why it’s downright imperative the Cowboys lead the way on this thing.
Expected average annual compensation (per @spotrac ) for soon-to-be free agent QBs:
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) January 23, 2019
Patrick Mahomes: $33.5M
Russell Wilson: $32.13M
Carson Wentz: $30.8M
Jared Goff: $28.69M
Deshaun Watson: $26.51M
Dak Prescott: $25.21M
If the Dallas Cowboys wait for some of these deals to get done, the average cost of employing an NFL QB will have increased, costing the Cowboys millions in their negotiations with Prescott.
a short term extension would help Dak Prescott more, cost the Dallas Cowboys more, and ultimately hurt the franchise.
If the Cowboys can beat these other teams to the punch, they can negotiate with last season’s deals as the most recent reference point. And those deals pale in comparison with what this new class is expected to make. Setting the market is risky, but not as dangerous as waiting.
Short-term deals are cap-killers
Everywhere you look some fan is floating the idea about how a short-term extension would be an ideal solution for Prescott. I addressed the cost it’ll take to re-sign Prescott last month. After going through market values and Spotec’s expected value this offseason, we landed on Dak making somewhere between $24-$27 million annually on his next deal.
How much it will cost to re-sign Dak Prescott. light. Related Story
As a result, some conversations have shifted from low-ball annual salaries to short-term deals. Let’s pretend for a second Dak agrees to something short-term (stressing the word, “pretend”), would it benefit him more or the Dallas Cowboys more?
I argue a short-term extension would help Dak Prescott more, cost the Dallas Cowboys more, and ultimately hurt the franchise.
Look at some of those old deals out there. Deals like Cam Newton’s that averages $20.8M, Phillip Rivers’ that averages $20.8M and Ben Roethlisberger’s at $21.9M. Those deals seemed enormous at the time, but now-a-days, those are relative steals. If those QBs would have signed shorter deals, they’d be making a ton more money right now because they’d be on fresher deals – more in tune with the current market.
Every year the cost of signing an NFL quarterback goes up. The longer the Dallas Cowboys wait to re-sign Dak, the more expensive he gets. In fact, the going rate is almost independent of individual performance so even if Dak plays out his rookie deal and has a relatively down year in 2019, he’s STILL going to cost MORE next offseason than he will cost to re-sign today.
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Last month I pointed out the not-so-illustrious list of the NFL’s highest paid QBs. Guys like Alex Smith, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo are all surprisingly paid in the top-10. And if they hit the market today, they’d probably get paid even more (provided they were healthy).
So why are all of these average passers getting paid elite money? Because the demand for a passer is greater than the inventory available.
Most notably, the common trait between many of the highest paid QBs happens to be the recency of the contract.
That’s why the Dallas Cowboys need to re-sign Dak Prescott right now. The cost of doing business seems to grow by the day. And because of the cost of employing a QB goes up every season, they should re-sign him for as long as possible.
Given the climate of the NFL, the cost of re-signing a starting QB rises with every signing. That’s why the Dallas Cowboys need to sign Dak Prescott before other QBs get extended, and that’s why it should be for as long as possible. He’s only going to get more expensive and the Cowboys aren’t letting him walk away.
- Published on 02/11/2019 at 13:00 PM
- Last updated at 02/10/2019 at 13:21 PM