Getty Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott is in no rush to break the Dallas Cowboys‘ bank.
Especially now, following back-to-back losses, the franchise quarterback appears content letting his contract year play out, leaving slow-burning extension negotiations in the hands of his representation.
“I’m just going to let my agents handle it,” he said on SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this week. “I’ve got a great team that I trust. I know that they’re going to do a great job with it. I had my time in those communications, but as the season’s began, it’s important for me to focus on my team, focus on the team that we’re going to play each and every week. That’s enough focus needed there. So the moment I give any focus to the contract, I’m taking away from what’s important. I just believe in the Cowboys and believe in my team that they’ll get something done.”
When the Cowboys were 3-0 and Prescott was an early MVP candidate, many close to the team’s orbit speculated that he’d done enough to justify his reported $40 million-per-year price tag. With the Cowboys falling to 3-2, however, those same folks are playing devil’s advocate.
If Prescott bumped his value during Dallas’ winning streak, do those millions become nullified due to this losing skid?
No, they don’t, if you believe owner/general manager Jerry Jones, who strongly pushed back against the “laughable” notion that Prescott’s next deal is hinged to a sliding scale.
“Well, first of all, the narrative about his financial as opposed to how he’s playing is laughable. It’s just not that way,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan, per the team’s official website. “It’s too much on both ends of that for both ends of the team and for Dak to equate his performance, stats, or won-loss these first two or three games.”
Jones added, “Let me get that real clear. It’s not impacting that with me at all. But I do see Dak showing the ability to handle adversity and basically go out and make the kind of plays that win important games for the Cowboys in the future. I see that.”
Through five games, Prescott has completed 119 of 171 balls (69.6 percent) for 1,606 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. He set a career high with 463 yards through the air in last week’s loss to Green Bay, but his turnovers were backbreakers, the difference in a 34-24 defeat.
Prescott is expected to match or exceed the four-year, $134 million extension signed by Rams QB Jared Goff, who received an NFL-record $110 million in guarantees. Slated to hit unrestricted free agency next March, he will have earned $2.02 million for 2019 if no agreement is struck by year’s end.
Follow the Heavy on Cowboys Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
State of Cowboys Union
While he’s no Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, Prescott is arguably among the league’s ten-best signal-callers. But from the moment he stepped foot into the pros, the 26-year-old has had to prove, almost on a weekly basis, that he’s worthy of being held in rarified air.
Asked by SiriusXM co-host Bruce Murray whether there’s a measuring stick against the GOATs, a predictably-humble Dak explained in detail that “a win is a win” and why it’s so important to “measure yourself internally” in seven-day increments.
“Of course, each and every game in this league you can use as a measuring stick, as I’ve said before, but we know how good this team can be and we’re not going to necessarily panic over who we’ve won against and who our losses are against. We know how good we are. We know we’re going to continue to get better, so that’s our focus. We’re going to continue to do that and not worry about anything else.”
READ NEXT: Jerry Jones Announces Decision on Possible Jason Garrett Firing
Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL