Dak Prescott, Tony Romo, and Shannon Sharpe (via IMAGO)
Dak Prescott finds himself in a complicated situation when the time comes for the Dallas Cowboys to pay him his dues.
This season, Prescott had a phenomenal year and was in the running to win the MVP for most of the season. Towards the end, he got a bit off track, but he managed to lead America’s team to a Division win and the playoffs.
Things did not go well for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, as the team faced a shocking defeat at the hands of Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
However, throughout the season and following the early exit, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones have been vocal about signing Prescott to an extension as he enters the final year of his 4-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021.
Early in December, the tide was in favor of Prescott and it seemed that the Cowboys were eager to get a deal done at the earliest.
Given the impending free agency of all of its stars, America’s team was expected to kick off free agency by announcing that it had retained Dak Prescott and signed him to an extension. However, that is far from the case. The team continues to show reluctance to pay Dak.
Shannon Sharpe is baffled at the Cowboys’ reluctance to pay Dak Prescott
Shannon Sharpe, former NFL tight end and prominent media personality gave his two cents on the Dak Prescott situation on Club Shay Shay podcast earlier this week.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (Image via IMAGO)
The analyst compared Prescott’s situation to that of Tony Romo, former quarterback for the Cowboys who played 14 seasons with the team.
I know a guy that played quarterback that didn't win nearly as much. Dak probably has won more playoff games than him and he never had to worry about a contract. All I know is Tony Romo was made the highest-paid quarterback in football with no Super Bowls, no NFC Championship games, no first-team All-Pro, no second-team All-Pro. He ain't never had to worry about a contract.Shannon Sharpe said
Tony Romo led the Cowboys to six playoff appearances; his record in the postseason with the team is 2-4. Both his playoff wins came in the Wild Card Round, where he went 2-1, and he could never get past the Divisional Round as his record there was 0-3. Compare that to Dak Prescott’s record in the playoffs, which is 2 wins and 5 losses. Both of his wins came in the Wild Card round.
The difference between Romo and Prescott is that the latter still has a lot of years left to play. He can surpass Romo’s record with ease. Romo made an estimated $127 million throughout his career playing for the Cowboys.
The quarterback never had to worry about testing the waters of free agency because Jerry Jones was confident in him and ensured his QB1 had signed an extension before his contract expired. In 2013, Jones went on to make Romo the highest-paid QB in the NFL by offering him $108 million.
Romo threw for 4,903 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions in 2012, with a QBR of 64.6 and a completion percentage of 65.6. Compare that to Prescott’s season in 2023, where he threw for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions with a QBR of 72.7 and a completion percentage of 69.5.
While Romo threw for more yards, just look at the touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Cowboys went 8-8 that season and were third in the NFC East.
Despite this, Jerry Jones was quick to offer Romo an extension. Prescott has outperformed Romo this season, and yet he is left waiting for an extension. At this juncture, the possibility of the Cowboys letting their QB go to free agency cannot be dismissed. Shannon Sharpe does have a valid point in this instance.
