Dak Worth $40 Million? NFL Execs Offer Stunning Answers On Cowboys QB

One NFL team executive recently told CowboysSI.com that if Prescott were ever truly a free agent, "he would break the bank. There'd be a bidding war.'' But what are execs saying about Dak's situation now?

FRISCO - "Leverage'' and "timing'' and "circumstance'' and "the market'' all matter, and surely the “GMs, coaches and guys making the decisions” who run NFL teams recognize that. But when comparing the financial value of Dak Prescott to the very highest-paid QBs in the league?

“They consider him more in the echelon of the top six to 10 quarterbacks,” Jane Slater reported Friday on NFL Network’s Total Access. “They don’t think he should be getting paid an (average per year) close to Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.''

Kansas City's Mahomes makes $45 million APY, Houston's Watson $39 million APY. Prescott, slated to be a free agent pending Tuesday' deadline for the Dallas Cowboys to franchise-tag him, is clearly looking for a payday somewhere at that level.

READ MORE: Dak Prescott Wants Cowboys To Pay Him 'Right Behind Mahomes - And Wants 'Respect'

Slater reports that she is “shocked at some of the feedback” regarding Prescott's wishes.

"They don't think he should be getting paid an APY close to Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson"@SlaterNFL got the scoop on what decision-makers around the league think of Dak Prescott 👀 pic.twitter.com/k9eZKgeFcY

— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) March 6, 2021

The argument about Prescott's financial value, in a vacuum, would seem to leave him well short of where Mahomes is. Slater points out that team execs note that while Mahomes has led his Chiefs to two straight Super Bowls, Prescott "is 1-2 in the postseason. Yes, he has an incredible (regular-season) win-loss record with the Dallas Cowboys, but it really is the lack of postseason success that leads a lot of them to feel this way.”

Of course, there is no "vacuum.'' This is real-world, real-life, the Cowboys having their particular needs and Prescott offering value that, in the opinion of many, goes far beyond "1-2 in the postseason.''

One NFL team executive recently told CowboysSI.com that if Prescott were ever truly a free agent, "he would break the bank. There'd be a bidding war.''

Slater's sources, in fact, acknowledge that. 

“There is going to be a buyer,” Slater said of that scenario “We saw that with the Vikings and Kirk Cousins. We saw that with the Texans and Brock Osweiler. As explained to me by one GM, some teams are getting a little smarter about making that type of decision, although I was also told teams are really good about talking themselves into players like Dak.”

Prescott isn't going to be a free agent - at least not this offseason. Dallas has previously offered $35 million APY and if there is not a new and accepted offer by Tuesday, they will apply the $37.7 million exclusive franchise tag to him. The two sides will continue to negotiate from there as they hope to reach a long-term agreement by July 15. If they fail to do to, Prescott plays at $37.7 million, a fact the “GMs, coaches and guys making the decisions” who run NFL teams might find confounding. ... because if Prescott is worth $37.7 million for one year, why wouldn't he be worth slightly more than that on a long-term deal?

CONTINUE READING: Would Dak Prescott 'Guaranteed' 3-Year Deal - With A Cap Trick - Be A Cowboys Win-Win?