The Dallas Cowboys have made the biggest splash in free agency so far after they handed out a monster four-year, $160 million contract to quarterback Dak Prescott. The deal includes a guaranteed amount of $126 million.
The deal has sent shockwaves to the football world and received mixed reactions from fans. Some say that the Cowboys made the right decision, while others state the amount is too large.
So, did America's Team give up too much for Dak Prescott? Assuming the goal of every franchise is to win the Super Bowl or at least get close to it, then yes.
Dak Prescott Overpaid?
Sure, Prescott is a top-10 quarterback in the league. He is only 27-years old and has been to the Pro Bowl twice. While he does not have a cannon of an arm, he consistently shows great accuracy and in his career, he has completed 66 percent of his passes. Up until his gruesome injury last year, he was an iron man as he started in all 16 games each season since coming out of Mississippi State. What made that injury worse was that Prescott was having a great start to the year. He has enough mobility to hurt defenses with his rushing.
Only time can tell if this deal was right for Dallas, but in the meantime, the best way to evaluate it is by looking at contracts of similar value. In terms of guaranteed money, only Mahomes has a larger amount, but his contract is for 10 years. The names after Prescott are Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, and Russell Wilson.
There is no debate whether or not Mahomes is better than Prescott. Watson is younger and more dynamic than Prescott. Additionally, Deshaun was able to do more with less help on offense. The play of Goff and Wentz has been steadily declining, but at least they had MVP-like performances and their teams got to the biggest stage–with Goff and the Los Angeles Rams falling short. The farthest Prescott has taken the Cowboys is to the Divisional playoffs.
Moreover, Wilson has been more productive than Prescott even though he has to play behind an awful offensive line and in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
Cowboys' Future With Dak Prescott
With the cap hit of Prescott's contract, the only way they can flesh out a roster worthy to be called a contender is if they knock the majority of their draft selections out of the park, become a home for veteran ring-chasers, or their in-house talents make huge progress. All three scenarios are a difficult ask for any team.
As good as Prescott has been and will be, his contract will greatly limit Dallas' personnel options moving forward. The team needs to restructure the deals of several stars like Amari Cooper and make difficult roster cuts with the money they are paying Dak.
Most of the big cap hits on the team are on the offensive side of the football and even if Prescott performs well and the team gets healthy, what resources will the Cowboys have to shore up their sorry defense? Every game will involve a shootout and while that makes for exciting football, the roster will get worn out more quickly.
The deal is understandable as franchise quarterbacks don't grow on trees, but Dallas would probably be an above-average to good team moving forward and nothing more.
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