Dak Prescott wants to be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. That much is clear from his latest contract demand.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback, who is entering the final year of his contract and has been negotiating an extension with the club, has turned down a deal worth $30 million per year and is instead seeking a contract worth $40 million per year, NFL Network's Jane Slater reported Monday, per a source informed of the talks.
If Prescott were to sign a deal worth $40 million in annual average value (AAV), that would make him the league's highest-paid QB in AAV by $5 million, around 14.3 percent more than the league-high $35M per year that Russell Wilson is making on his current deal, per Spotrac.
A $30M-per-year pact, meanwhile, would put Prescott in the company of Matt Ryan (fifth in AAV).
How likely it is that Dallas would agree to make Prescott the league's highest-paid QB and by such a large margin is unknown, though probably miniscule. As Slater added, Prescott demanding $40M per year is "negotiating and business" and that the eventual agreed-to number is likely closer to $34-35 million per year.
Dak's not-so-subtle contract demands come while the Cowboys are juggling three concurrent negotiations with their star quarterback (Prescott), running back (Ezekiel Elliott) and wide receiver (Amari Cooper). Prescott's and Cooper's deals are up at the end of the 2019 season, while Elliott's is set to expire following the 2020 campaign. Slater reported last week that all three have "generous" offers on the table from Dallas, though what is perceived as "generous" at this point is a matter of perspective.
While Prescott and Cooper have attended Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California during their negotiations, Elliott has been holding out and working out in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Prescott played one series in Dallas' preseason opener.
The team returns to Dallas following its second preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams in Hawaii on Aug. 17. It is expected upon the Cowboys' return to Texas on Aug. 20 that these negotiations will heat up.
Whether Prescott is worth a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL is the debate in which the football world has been engaged since news of his talks with Dallas began. In three years as the starting QB of "America's Team," Prescott, along with Elliott and an all-world offensive line, has piloted Dallas to a 32-16 record, two playoff appearances and NFC East titles and one playoff victory. The 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year has completed 66.1 percent of his passes, thrown 67 touchdowns to 25 picks and played in two Pro Bowls.
It's not clear that Prescott is or will be a top-10 quarterback, but that's not what is at stake this summer and autumn. Whether he will become among the top-paid quarterbacks and players this league has ever seen and set the market for future QB extensions is.
Prescott believes he deserves a contract that reflects all that and more. How Dallas proceeds following his latest outsize demand will be telling.
