There may be good reasons why Jerry Jones used the franchise tag, but after running the numbers, I believe it would have been more sensible to sign Prescott to a long-term deal.
If you’ve been paying attention to football this off-season, you have seen a trend this trend–quarterbacks being paid big money. We’ve seen it with Brady going to the Bucs, Brees re-signing with the Saints, and Philip Rivers going to the Colts. Each QB got approximately $25 million in annual value.
But one quarterback hasn’t gotten a big payday yet. He’s Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
Courtesy: Bloggingtheboys.com
Instead, Prescott was served a franchise tag, which as of the writing of this article, hasn’t been signed yet. Why has Jerry Jones, who has said in the past that his wrists “don’t cramp when writing checks,” refuse to give his star quarterback a long-term deal?
One factor is Prescott’s asking price, which is reportedly north of $33-35 million per year (Fort Worth Star-Telegram). That’s far ahead of the previously mentioned Brees and Brady.
Is Dak worth $8-10 million more than his peers? I studied stats to find out.
If you look at Prescott’s QBR (Quarterback Rating) in comparison to that of Rivers, Brady, and Brees, you’ll find that Brees leads the pack at 116.3. Dak is second with a 99.7. Both Rivers and Brady hover between 88 to 88.5.
But QBR is just one stat. Another is Adjusted Yard Per Attempt (AY/A). An excellent stat, it factors in average yardage, plus touchdowns and interception return yards.
In Adjusted Yard Per Attempt (AY/A)Dak’s numbers are better than Drew’s (photo, UPI.Com)
So how does Prescott stack up in that regard? In 2019, he put up an 8.83 AY/A. That outclasses Brees by .43 yards, and Rivers and Brady by 1.8 and 2.0 yards, respectively.
Prescott is just as efficient as fellow quarterbacks who have already received big paychecks. So what gives, Mr. Jones?
I believe there’s a strong case to be made for giving Dak a long-term extension.
The first reason is the Cowboys’ approach to paying their players. Over the last two seasons, the ‘Boys have opened up the checkbook to give Amari Cooper, Demarcus Lawrence, and Ezekiel Elliott long-term deals. On top of that, they recently brought in Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Aldon Smith on the defensive line. Those moves cost Dallas $32 million in total.
Another thing to consider is that The Boys’ just brought in former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Does that mean Jerry wants to give Prescott a 1-year deal to see how things work out with his new head man?
My take is this: I’d pay Dak Prescott! While the $33+ million per year is a steep price to pay, I still think it’s worth the cost. I’d give the 26-year-old Prescott a 4-5 year front-loaded deal. Doing it that way would enable me to sign players like Elliott, Lawrence, and Cooper to long-term deals down the road.
With Prescott locked up, I think the Cowboys have a solid chance at making a Super Bowl run.
