Could Andy Dalton throw a wrench in Dak Prescott’s plans of getting a long-term deal with the Cowboys?
The Cowboys normally take up a lot of airtime on sports talk shows because they’re “America’s team”, but this offseason we’ve heard even more about them thanks to Dak Prescott being due for a big payday. After being a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Prescott has thrown for 15,778 yards and 97 touchdowns while also adding 1,221 rushing yards and another 21 touchdowns with his legs.
Simply put, Prescott is owed some serious cash, and the Cowboys seem to be pinching pennies.
Prescott might not be the best quarterback in the league, but he still has incredible upside to be a top-tier quarterback. He may never be Patrick Mahomes, but he’s led the Cowboys to the playoffs in two of his first four seasons. Even though he’s struggled since winning Rookie of the Year in 2016, Prescott is the type of quarterback a team in the modern NFL can build around, and if he were to hit the market he’d easily get what he’s asking for from Dallas from another team desperate to find a franchise quarterback.
When it comes to Andy Dalton signing with Big D, yes, it adds some pressure to Prescott in 2020, but at the same time, Dalton might not even see the field. Prescott has yet to miss a start in his four year career and his durability is a big reason why the Cowboys should eventually pay him big bucks.
Dalton is arguably now the best backup quarterback in the league and if anything were to happen to Prescott, the Cowboys’ season wouldn’t sink. We saw with the Chiefs this past season how having a reliable backup can save your season, even if just for two seasons (we also saw a greater example of it during the 2017 season with the Eagles).
So yes, Dalton coming in might tick Prescott off, but at the end of the day, Prescott should still end up with a big contract.
Teams search for decades for a young quarterback who can make plays and win big games. While the Cowboys haven’t gotten to an NFC Championship Game yet with Prescott, it hasn’t been all his fault. He has a new coach this season, so it’s time to see if the past miscues were as a result of “bad” coaching or if Prescott is the problem.
Either way, Dalton coming to Dallas isn’t a sign that Jerry Jones no longer wants Dak Prescott. He’s still going to get paid and if he continues to play well and stay healthy, Dalton might not ever step foot on the field in 2020 except to take a knee at the end of blowout games.
Dak Prescott will still get paid even with the team bringing in one of the best quarterbacks on the free agent market, but it definitely makes things a little more interesting in Dallas.