Dak Prescott: Highest-Paid QB in NFL History? Dallas Cowboys Star Rejects Discount Deal

The Dallas Cowboys should not anticipate quarterback Dak Prescott accepting any discount as they negotiate his forthcoming contract.

Prescott is in the last year of his four-year, $160 million extension signed with the Cowboys in 2021. Without an extension, he will become a free agent after this season.

The Cowboys are working on significant contract extensions with Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and defensive standout Micah Parsons. Prescott recognizes the circumstances but is not inclined to accept a discount for the Cowboys' convenience.

He believes he has a responsibility to himself and to other quarterbacks in the league to pursue a contract that may set a new benchmark for the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

“I’m a guy that grew up with two older brothers,” Prescott said on Friday, Aug. 2 . “You understand what a brotherhood means, not only for just this team but the fraternity of the NFL and the players. The money is out there and the money can happen. It can be done. There’s ways to make everything work for both ways. That’s in that sense it’s always about pushing the envelope for the next man.”

Recent quarterback contracts have established the benchmark for Prescott's expectations in free agency. Quarterbacks with fewer accolades, such as Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jordan Love, have secured profitable extensions recently. Love, Lawrence, and Joe Burrow, who signed an extension last season, each earn an annual salary of $55 million.

Prescott, who will turn 31 next season, is coming off a Pro Bowl year. Last season, he threw for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Cowboys icon Troy Aikman acknowledges Prescott's 2-5 playoff record but also believes that the quarterback is not solely to blame.

“When you look at the numbers, and you didn’t have the names, you just looked at stats — again, I don’t care about stats, I just want to see wins — but wins included, you would put Dak Prescott’s numbers over the last couple of years along with Patrick Mahomes’ (stats),” Aikman said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, Aug. 2.

“It’s what has happened in the postseason that has separated those two. That’s where the whole organization needs to be better. This isn’t just on Dak Prescott. This goes back for the last 25 to 30 years that the Cowboys have just failed to play their best football when the games have mattered most in January.”

Prescott recognizes his leverage in contract negotiations. Should he not secure an extension with the Cowboys, he is aware that other teams may offer him a contract in free agency. While he has expressed a desire to remain in Dallas, he is not averse to the prospect of playing for a different team.

“Having a kid, your perspective changes a little bit in life,” said Prescott, who had his first child this year. “A lot of quarterbacks have [played for other teams]. That’s just the business and nature of this game. That’s just me not being naive to that,” Prescott told Jeff Kolb of Fox 4 on Aug. 1. “It’s not something I look for, or prepare — even plan — for, but if something like that happens, I’ll certainly be ready for it.”

Aikman perceives the Cowboys' approach with Prescott as risky and envisions a scenario where Prescott might depart.

“The longer this goes, the more I think he will be playing somewhere else,” Aikman said. “If it continues to drag on and he plays great and then the Cowboys come in late to say, ‘Hey, now we want to pay you,’ I don’t know where his head will be at that point.”

Prescott and the Cowboys will open the season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8.

Related: Jerry Jones Updates on Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb Contract Talks Amid Camp Holdout