[ad_1]
-
Todd Archer, ESPN Writer
FRISCO, Texas — Now that Dak Prescott has signed another massive contract to be the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, his remaining years will be about legacy.
He got his money. Before signing his latest deal, he was worth more than $160 million, with just over $4 million coming from his rookie deal (2016-19), $31.4 million from the franchise tag in 2020, and $126 million from 2021 to 2023. He could make $240 million from the latest deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
But for Prescott to go from being a statistically very good quarterback to one of the best players in Cowboys history, he has to do something he has yet to do: reach the Super Bowl. And maybe even win it.
It may not be entirely fair, but that’s the standard in Dallas set by Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.
Prescott has done just about everything in his first eight years as the starting quarterback. He set the team record for touchdown passes in a season (37). By the end of next season, he should pass Tony Romo (34,183) as the franchise leader in passing yards. He’s 45 touchdown passes short of Romo’s record (247). He’s won the NFC East four times. He’s been to the Pro Bowl. In 2023, he had his best season, being named an All-Pro and finishing second in MVP voting. He was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner.
But he couldn’t make it past the second round of the playoffs, and the stink of losing to the Green Bay Packers last January still lingers over the entire organization.
To do what he hasn’t done yet, Prescott may be asked to do more with less — in part because of his contract, though the Cowboys were able to sign C.D. Lamb to a four-year contract extension on Aug. 26.
Teams with high-priced quarterbacks — like Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert — had to make trade decisions at other positions.
The Cowboys initially asked Prescott to do more with less in 2018 without a true No. 1 receiver, and when that didn’t work, they traded for wide receiver Amari Cooper, giving up a first-round pick to the Raiders.
In his ninth season, Prescott is a different quarterback than he was when he entered his third. He understands the game better. He understands his game better. He understands defenses better.
In 2024, he’ll need to be better than he was, as the Cowboys move to a running back-by-committee approach and may start rookies on the offensive line. He’ll need to be better as he faces a schedule that includes seven games against 2023 playoff teams in the first 11 weeks.
After this season, the Cowboys could look very different.
These could be the final years for future Hall of Famer guard Zack Martin and defensive back DeMarcus Lawrence. If both are gone after this season, Prescott would be the longest-tenured Cowboys player since fellow 2016 draft pick Ezekiel Elliott took a one-year break from Dallas in 2023 for a stint with the New England Patriots.
In the offseason, Dallas said goodbye to future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz, linebacker Tony Pollard and defensive back Dorrance Armstrong, among others, while Dallas prepared to trade Prescott, C.D. Lamb and Micah Parsons. The only noteworthy additions were the return of Elliott and quarterback Eric Kendricks in free agency, where Jerry Jones’ definition of “all-in-one” seemed different than many others thought.
But there’s no doubt that Jones is now fully on Prescott’s side, even if it took some time in negotiations to get there.
If Prescott, who is entering his ninth season, is successful in the deal, he will become the longest-tenured starting quarterback in team history. Aikman has been the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for 12 seasons, while Romo has started for nine and Staubach has started for eight.
Since 1980, Ken Anderson is the only quarterback to have waited longer to go to his first Super Bowl with his chosen club, in his 10th season as a full-time starter with Cincinnati. Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning went to their first Super Bowls with Atlanta and Indianapolis, respectively, in their ninth seasons as full-time starters.
This is the challenge Prescott faces in defining his legacy on the field.
[ad_2]
