Getty Dak Prescott is confident in the Cowboys offense heading into 2021.
Incredibly, there remains a sizable sect of the Dallas Cowboys‘ fan base that strongly disputes Dak Prescott’s standing as an upper-echelon NFL quarterback.
Let this be a lesson to them.
After missing four and a half games this season, Dak Prescott still has more passing yards than Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton and Kirk Cousins.
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Prescott, who suffered a season-ending ankle fracture and dislocation back in Week 5, still ranks 21st in the NFL in air yards (1,856). Indeed, that’s more than Cousins (1,855), reigning MVP Jackson (1,762), Mayfield (1,646), and Newton (1,535). He tossed nine touchdowns, 93 first-down passes, and 25 throws of 20-plus yards across 18 quarters of play, with a 68.02 completion percentage.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Prescott was on pace to shatter the league’s single-season passing record as well as numerous franchise marks. He’d already set Cowboys history by recording 450-plus yards in three consecutive games.
Since exiting, the 2-7 Cowboys have started three other QBs — Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, Garrett Gilbert — and failed to score more than 19 points in a game. Put another way: the Dalton-DiNucci-Gilbert troika have combined for 914 yards and two passing TDs.
Numbers on their face will do nothing to change the minds of Dak’s detractors; whether he’s ranked top-five, top-10, or bottom-16 is entirely subjective. But they inarguably validate Prescott’s worth to the organization and justify the market-value (read: gargantuan) contract he would receive on the open market, if Dallas allows the 2021 unrestricted free agent to get that far.
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Cowboys Provide Latest on Dak Contract Conversations
If anything has come out of Prescott’s absence, it’s that he clearly deserves a long-term commitment from the Cowboys. The news there, however, is no news.
Holding a midseason conference call last week, executive vice president Stephen Jones stated the Cowboys have “not had any conversations with Dak Prescott since his injury,” referencing the grisly ankle maladies sustained on Oct. 11.
“The only interaction the front office has had with Dak has been to ask how he is doing,” beat writer Brianna Dix reported.
Following months of negotiations and counter-proposals, the sides balked at striking an agreement by the July 15 deadline, prompting the latter to play 2020 on his fully-guaranteed $31.4 million franchise tag. Early indications point to the team again applying the tender to Prescott next offseason, at a cost of $37.7 million for the 2021 campaign.
Alternatively, Dallas could commit to a multi-year (possibly four-year) deal likely approaching $40 million annually or, less likely, allow Prescott to shop his wares in free agency and use their projected top-five draft pick on his replacement.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL