Dak Prescott should maybe think twice about leaving the Dallas Cowboys.
With Prescott on the verge of entering the final year of his deal with the Cowboys, there’s speculation regarding whether the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback will leave the Cowboys next offseason. While Prescott will have no shortage of suitors in free agency if he chooses to go that route, former head coach Herm Edwards warned the 2023 MVP runner-up of thinking twice when it comes to leaving Dallas.
While appearing ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, July 3, the 70-year-old former coach argued that Prescott would not upgrade teams if he decided to leave the Cowboys.
“You’re not going to play for a better team,” Edwards said. “Who challenges him? The [Philadelphia Eagles]. The [Detroit Lions] … [Green Bay Packers], [San Francisco 49ers], that’s who they got to deal with. That’s who Dak has to deal with to get to the Super Bowl. And that’s what he understands. If you understand that and say, ‘Well, hey, I got the best team I can play on right now. I go somewhere else, I got to start over.'”
Why Dak Prescott Should Consider Staying With Cowboys
Edwards makes a fair point considering the NFC is stacked. All of the aforementioned teams already have franchise quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Jordan Love and Brock Purdy. To make matters worse, the AFC — which is seen as the stronger conference — already have teams with franchise quarterbacks locked in on long-term contracts such as Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.
That’s not even mentioning fringe contenders such as the Atlanta Falcons already having signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason.
Why Dak Prescott Should Earn Big Money Deal if He Leaves Cowboys
There’s little doubt that Prescott could sign a big contract, that mirrors — if not exceeds — the one Cousins signed this offseason. Considering Prescott is coming off of the best season of his career and is actually five years younger than Cousins (without coming off of an injury), he could very well earn at least $50 million per year on his next deal.
According to Spotrac, Prescott’s projected market value is $53.1 million per season across four years for a total of over $212 million. That would make Prescott the third-highest paid quarterback on an average annual basis in the NFL.
However, he’d likely land with a far less talented team than the one he currently plays on. Although Edwards is a fan of Prescott, he does make sure to mention his lack of playoff success with such a talented supporting cast. The Cowboys had the second-most Pro Bowlers (seven) last season.
“I’m a Dak Prescott fan,” Edwards said. “But when you’ve only won two playoff games, when you’ve only won two in your whole career with a team that is stacked, offensively and defensively … he’s in the best situation he could be in.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the Cowboys are able to lock in Prescott to a long-term deal. However, the two sides have been in communication regarding a new deal.
If Prescott does decide to leave Dallas, he needs to be prepared for the likely possibility that he’ll be playing for a less talented team.
