Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is among the highest-paid players in the NFL, but is key to the team’s success. But there are some who believe his contract may be hurting America’s Team.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throws a pass in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Just before the start of the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a new, massive deal, paying him $240 million over four seasons, with $231 million guaranteed.

That deal, which pays him $60 million APY and will balloon up to $74 million in 2026, also made Prescott the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history in terms of average salary, above names such as Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, and Brock Purdy.

And according to Bleacher Report, the Cowboys’ choice to give Prescott was one of the worst decisions in the NFL, ranking him with the second worst contract in the entire league behind only Deshaun Watson.

“(The Cowboys) waited until just before the start of the regular season to get it done, which meant waiting until after QBs like Jared Goff and Jordan Love signed their own deals,” Bleacher Report wrote. “Then, Dallas made Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history by a fairly considerable margin. With a deal worth $60 million annually, Prescott makes at least $5 million more per year than any other player—including quarterbacks like Love, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.”

“Lastly, the Cowboys believed that keeping Prescott happy and behind center would put Dallas in a position to win a Super Bowl… The Cowboys, for the record, haven’t advanced past the divisional round since 1995.”

Of course, it is easy to look at Prescott’s stats and personal accolades and derive the conclusion that he has been well worth his contract on the field. It could also be argued that the Cowboys failure to succeed in the playoffs cannot be placed sorely on his shoulders.

However, to Bleacher Report’s credit, the fact of the matter is when a player is signed to that kind of deal, the expectations are going to be enormous, and that player should be able to propel their team toward at least conference title appearance.

To make things worse, Prescott has struggled with struggled with injuries in recent years as well, missing nine games in 2024, five games in 2022 and 11 games in 2020, forcing the Cowboys to rely on a backup quarterback far to often.

In other words, for Prescott’s contract to be worth the exorbitant cost to the franchise he has to stay healthy, and take his team on a true post season run – something no Dallas Cowboys quarterback since Troy Aikman in 1995 has been able to do.