Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed last September. He then endured a rough 2024 season that ended prematurely when he went down with a serious hamstring injury in Week 9.
As Cowboys players reported for training camp, Prescott addressed certain takes about his lack of big-time success during his Dallas tenure that began in 2016.
“[Criticism] comes with the territory,” Prescott said, as shared by Clarence Hill of DLLS Sports (h/t Sports Illustrated). “That comes with the $60M. It is what it is. And if I’m sensitive to the truth, then I’ve got a problem with life. Nobody’s more upset; nobody’s more (expletive); nobody’s more disappointed about that than I am. Nobody wants to win more than me.”
Prescott emerged as a 2023 MVP finalist as the Cowboys entered that campaign’s postseason tournament at 12-5. However, his career playoff record dropped to 2-5 via a wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers in January 2024.
“… I understand it’s a team game, but at the end of the day, the quarterback is paid to fill in those gaps, and when you’re not playing well, to understand that and to bring the team back. And have I done that when I needed to? Absolutely not in those crucial times,” Prescott said about his postseason performances. “And if I had, the record wouldn’t be 2–5. That’s being a realist.”
Pro Football Reference shows that Prescott ended the 2024 regular season ranked 32nd in the NFL among qualified players with a 45.3 adjusted QBR and 27th with an 86.0 passer rating. Needless to say, a quarterback on such an expensive deal is expected to give his offense better play when healthy.
“I would bet on myself, and I’d bet on the work that I put into this thing any day,” Prescott added. “And trust me, I’d give the money I make to win and be broke. I’m not sensitive to it. It is what it is. And trust me, that’s my point. Nobody’s more disappointed than I am about that. All that does is, that elevates the work that I put into this and how I approach it.”
Prescott’s desire for “continuity” reportedly was a big reason Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones promoted Brian Schottenheimer from the role of offensive coordinator to head coach after the club parted ways with Mike McCarthy this past winter. How Prescott plays from September through January 2026 could determine if Schottenheimer becomes a one-and-done coach for a franchise that hasn’t completed a journey to an NFC Championship Game since it won the Super Bowl in January 1996.
