Russell Wilson New $245 Million Contract: Dak Prescott & Dallas Cowboys Impact?
FRISCO - The ceiling on NFL quarterbacks salaries is a living, breathing, evolving and … growing … thing.
The latest evidence? On Thursday it’s being reported by ESPN and NFL Network that Russell Wilson and his new employer the Denver Broncos have agreed to a massive five-year, $245 million extension with $165 million guaranteed.
That’s $49 million APY.
And yes. the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott are aware.
It was just a year ago when Dallas did Dak’s new contract, making him one of the richest players in NFL history
And yet, irrespective of the Wilson news, there is logic in doing it again
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones was asked about this issue during the camp-opening press conference in Oxnard.
"It’s going to be popping up again real quick because we went along with the shorter length (in the four-year deal done a year ago),'' Jones said. "You pay attention to these all the time, and certainly we’re always going to be thinking about Dak and how he affects us from a salary cap standpoint.
"But, yes, he’s always in the back of our mind when you’re managing the salary cap with this football team.''
As ESPN points out, there is viability in re-examining a deal sooner rather than later. A new Dak contract could help the team manage the 2023 cap, could combat the rising costs of employing a QB and could end the concerns about Prescott going free after the 2024 season.
"He’s always a big part of our planning,'' Jones said, "and what we’re thinking about with him.”
Key to the planning in building on the existing four-year, $160 million deal done in 2021 is the assumption that Prescott is indeed "the right guy'' to lead Dallas toward true Super Bowl contention. Jerry and Stephen Jones swear they are convinced of that.
Still .. that last contractual dance included him playing the 2019 season on the final year of his rookie contract, playing the 2020 season on the franchise tag, and finally got his $40 million APY in 2021.
Prescott's side’s win came by being able to consider free agency again in 2025.
What's in it for Prescott to do a new deal now? Doing it might mean he doesn't strike it as rich as he might in, say, 2025. On the other hand, the Cowboys could bend to a projection there ... and maybe Dak could be persuaded to see that his 2023 cap number of $49.13 million and his 2024 cap number of $52.13 million could be a roster-building obstacle.
The rising costs of QBs is a reality. When Dal did his deal, he was the second-highest-paid QB in NFL history. That’s long gone now … with Dallas and Dak now turning to the future.
"I feel like we have one of the best people at that position, and one of the best people that a team has in the NFL,'' Jerry said. "He’s a big part of our my optimism.”
Of course, talk is cheap. And more than ever … NFL quarterback contracts are not.
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