Getty Dak Prescott
Patrick Mahomes, reigning Super Bowl MVP, recently became the first athlete in sports history to ink a half-billion-dollar contract. But it could resemble chump change when — not if — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott puts pen to paper.
Appearing on the Ross Tucker Podcast, former Green Bay Packers vice president and sports business expert Andrew Brandt expressed his belief that Prescott, as soon as 2021, will “eclipse” Mahomes’ long-term worth “by a good margin.”
“Prescott is setting himself up for a massive contract, and in my view, a much better contract than Mahomes,” Brandt said, later adding, “Mark my words.”
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Deeper Dive
Mahomes’ pact is huge, and hugely intricate. It’s a 10-year commitment, an NFL rarity, with a maximum value of $503 million and $477 million in “guaranteed mechanisms” — gargantuan roster and workout bonuses — that keeps him under team control through 2031.
The extension, which doesn’t go into full effect until 2022, is also tied to the league’s ever-rising salary cap and revenue streams, ensuring financial staying power for the superstar Chiefs quarterback. Perspective: His $130 million injury guarantee alone dwarfs the record-setting $110 million in total guarantees that Los Angeles’ Jared Goff landed in 2019.
Further perspective: The Cowboys’ last reported offer to Prescott was a five-year deal at $35 million annually — $175 million overall — and roughly $110 million guaranteed. The 26-year-old repeatedly rebuffed the team in search of a four-year agreement that never transpired.
But rather than accept less than half of what Mahomes received, Prescott chose to bet on himself. He’ll play the 2020 campaign on his fully-guaranteed $31.4 million franchise tag and either get tagged again next offseason, raking in another $37.7 million, or reach unrestricted free agency where a desperate suitor is likely to back up the Brink’s truck.
More from Brandt on Dak
The NFL contract expert opined that Dallas “would have loved” to lock down Prescott for the next decade, giving the front office flexibility to spread out the cap hits. But it takes two to tango, and the former Pro Bowl passer simply “is not having that.”
In essence, Brandt pushed back against the notion that Dak’s unwillingness to compromise with the Cowboys is an indictment on his future with the organization, or lack thereof.
“People say, ‘Well, he doesn’t want to be on the team as much as Mahomes.’ Come on. Of course he wants to be on the team. But he wants optionality in his career, he wants a shorter deal. He wants to commit for four or five years, and he wants to be paid,” Brandt said. “That’s something every player wants. It’s not that they don’t want to be on the team.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL