Last night, after returning home from my once-every-five-years visit to a college basketball game (have you heard that some of the players are actually getting paid?), I opened a file I had received last August with an official list of all NFL quarterbacks entering the 2017 season, ranked by average annual contract value.
Combining that list with deals finalized (Jimmy Garoppolo) or reported (Alex Smith) since then, the end result was a ranking of all projected 2018 NFL starting quarterbacks, by salary. But there was a glaring omission. The final list, which included 29 projected 2018 starters (and mentioned the uncertain starting status of guys like Sam Bradford, Nick Foles, and Josh McCown), did not include the man who should have been (and now is) at No. 30: Dak Prescott.
I missed Prescott and his paltry $680,000 annual average in part because he was buried so far down the list that I quit scrolling before I got to his name. Specifically, with Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson at No. 29, the Cowboys quarterback appeared after . . . .
Drew Stanton, Colt McCoy, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Cassel, Paxton Lynch, Derek Anderson, Landry Jones, Brandon Weeden, Matt Barkley, Ryan Mallett, Mark Sanchez, Case Keenum, Ryan Griffin, Matt Moore, Scott Tolzien, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyler Bray, DeShone Kizer, Christian Hackenberg, Kellen Clemens, Dan Orlovsky, Luke McCown, Josh Johnson, Joe Webb, Davis Webb, Chase Daniels, C.J. Beathard, Jimmy Garoppolo, T.J. Yates, Blaine Gabbert, Austin Davis, Ryan Nassib, Jacoby Brissett, Cody Kessler, Sean Mannion, EJ Manuel, Matthew McGloin, Kellen Moore, Thad Lewis, Connor Cook, Josh Hobbs, Bryce Petty, and David Fales.
Some of those guys didn’t make it to the 53-man roster and ultimately weren’t employed last year. But the point is this: Prescott is woefully underpaid, at $680,000 per year. The Cowboys can’t sign him to a new deal until after 2018, and they can wait (if they want) until after 2019 to finally give him an extension.
But even if Jerry Jones were to become fascinated with the bright and shiny object that is Kirk Cousins, the cost of signing Cousins dwarfs the investment in Prescott.
Eventually, when the Cowboys have to decide on a second contract for Prescott, Jones would be justified to look around a little before making a major commitment to Prescott. For now, it makes plenty of sense to ride with the only 2018 starter who will be making less than $1 million.
