Dak Prescott may be the next big name quarterback to sign a contract extension. Will the Cowboys pay him more than the Seahawks gave Russell Wilson?
Russell Wilson may not have gotten the NFL altering contract he wanted from the Seahawks last week, but he did reset the market for quarterbacks. His $35 million per year deal may have a big impact on how the Cowboys negotiate with Dak Prescott in the near future.
It’s safe to assume that Prescott and his representatives will try to use Wilson’s recent deal as a starting point for negotiations. Of course, the Cowboys don’t have to agree to that condition. It’s very likely Jerry Jones and company will try to begin their negotiations with Prescott a lot closer to the contract Jimmy Garoppolo signed when he moved to the 49ers. That deal pays the former Patriots star $27.5 million per season.
Some media members are expecting Dallas to open negotiations well under that future, but they are underestimating one key factor. The Cowboys greatly value their relationship with their star quarterback. They want to ink Prescott to a reasonable contract, but they also are desperate to avoid a public spat with their franchise signal caller. The team’s desire to avoid a public relations nightmare is going to work in Prescott’s favor.
That doesn’t mean there’s a rationale case to be made for paying Prescott a contract in Wilson’s range. He’s enjoyed some really good regular seasons for the Cowboys, but he still only has one playoff win on his resume. Dallas will rightly want to see a lot more postseason success from Prescott before they consider paying him like the best player at his position. Wilson, in sharp contrast, has a Super Bowl title on his resume.
There’s also a significant difference between the two when it comes to their talent on the field. Prescott is an above-average quarterback who is more than capable of putting up solid results when he’s got quality talent around him. He was excellent after the Cowboys made the move to add Amari Cooper last season. His play before that trade, however, was pretty uninspiring.
Wilson has a clear ability to lead an offense to impressive success even when he’s not blessed with a ton of talent around him. Seattle has consistently had one of the weakest offensive lines in the league during his tenure. The group of skill players around Wilson hasn’t been much better. Nonetheless, he grinds out yards, touchdowns and wins for the Seahawks no matter who is playing around him.
In the end, look for Prescott’s contract to land somewhere between Garoppolo and Wilson’s deals. The question the Cowboys must answer is just how close to the top of the market they’re willing to go. No matter what, the price of quarterback play in Dallas is poised to rise significantly in the near future.