National Football League

The Dak Contract Quandary

Updated Oct. 5, 2020 3:56 p.m. ET

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Statistically, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is having a historical start to the season.

But the win column? Well, it's lacking a few extra digits.

Dallas is off to a 1-3 start after Sunday's defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. It marks the Cowboys' worst record through four games since 2010, when they finished the season 6-10.

In the loss to Cleveland, Prescott put up a career-high 502 passing yards – 4 short of Tony Romo's 506-yard franchise record from 2013 – on another career-high 58 attempts.

Prescott, however, is not tied to the franchise long-term, and during the 2020 offseason, he signed a franchise tender worth $31.4 million for this season.

The Cowboys could tag him again next season, but clearly, Dak will once again look for more stability.

Given his start to the season, FOX Sports' Nick Wright believes Prescott is the best player on the Cowboys' current roster, and the club should look to lock him up for years to come, sooner rather than later.

"The best thing you have going for you is the one thing you don't know how much longer you'll have going for you."

Prescott seems to be doing his part for the Cowboys, and for future contract negotiations. 

However, his numbers are only part of the story.

While Dak has been on fire through the air, the Dallas passing attack has mainly derived out of necessity, as the Cowboys have found themselves falling behind early in three of their four games, including Sunday.

The Cowboys trailed the Browns 31-14 at halftime, and 41-14 going into the fourth, and at this point, Skip Bayless even realizes that Dak is at his best when the team is down big.

Sunday's attempt at a comeback comes two weeks after Dallas trailed 20-0 before storming back to earn a 40-39 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and one week after Dallas trailed Seattle 30-15 in the third before falling, 38-31.

And after the Seattle game, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hinted at placing the blame on Dak.

Despite Prescott's 472 passing yards and three touchdowns, he threw two interceptions, one of which came in the final seconds with the Cowboys trailing by a touchdown.

Most fans and analysts spent Monday morning pointing at the Dallas defense, but the team's turnover issues might be just as much to blame for its 1-3 start.

As a team, Dallas ranks No. 1 in the NFL in turnovers, and Prescott is responsible for six of those turnovers – three interceptions and three fumbles. 

ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky argues that the offense, led by Dak, deserves as much blame as the defense for Dallas' slow start, especially for its performances in the first half, where Dallas has only scored 53 points on 9-of-25 possessions.

"Their offense right now is very average in the first half. They are turning the football over. They aren't scoring a ton of points, and they are hurting their football team just as much as the defense is."

With all that in mind, Jones and the Dallas brass will have another summer full of tough decisions, mainly when it comes to paying Dak. 

Clearly, the Dallas defense needs help. It currently stands as the 30th-ranked defense in the NFL, giving up 430.5 yards per game, and it's the worst defense in the league in terms of points allowed, giving up 36.5 points per game through four weeks.

But Dallas made it a point to pay its offensive stars – except for Dak – early and often, including Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott last September and Pro Bowl wide receiever Amari Cooper back in March.

So, if the franchise does decide to sign Dak long-term, and approach or potentially surpass the $40 million per year threshold, the problems on the defensive side of the ball could very well be ignored, after Dallas already parted ways with Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones this past offseason.

Along with Prescott, defensive ends Tyrone Crawford and Everson Griffen, linebackers Sean Lee and Aldon Smith, cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Xavier Woods will all be free agents after this season.

Dallas would be well-served to figure out its issues on both sides of the ball with some sense of urgency, considering the Cowboys are now 0-3 against teams that currently have winning records, and Prescott is now 1-7 over the course of the last two seasons against opponents who entered the game with a winning record.

In 2019, Prescott and the Cowboys were 1-6 against teams that eventually made the playoffs.

Dak is looking incredible on paper. 

But in the end, it might be winning that earns him the real paper.

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Amari Cooper

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