I’ve ‘overpaid’ for special things

After months of negotiation, the Cowboys finally locked up quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $160 million deal, cementing his future in Dallas. Prescott is now the second-highest paid NFL player in terms of average annual value, behind only Patrick Mahomes.

It did take the Cowboys perhaps a bit too long to get a deal done, however. Prescott didn’t get his extension until he completed his fifth NFL season, whereas most star quarterbacks get new deals after three years in the league. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, both drafted the same year as Prescott, got their extensions in 2019. Both QBs have since been traded.

The Cowboys may have saved some money if they extended Prescott earlier, before Mahomes’ contract set the market. But when asked if he felt Dallas overpaid at a press conference Wednesday, owner and GM Jerry Jones didn’t appear to be worried about the concept.

“If anyone has ever taken advantage of me financially, I’m proud it’s the one next to me,” Jones said, referring to Prescott.

“The truth is most anything that I’ve ever been involved in that ended up being special, I overpaid for, every time, to the end. Anytime I’ve tried to get a bargain, I got just that, it was a bargain in a lot of ways and not up to standard.”

Prescott has certainly earned the right to be paid on a long-term basis. He has two Pro Bowl appearances under his belt through four full seasons, with 106 career TD passes compared to 40 interceptions. Before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 5 of 2020, he was leading the NFL in passing yards.

The 27-year-old is still recovering after suffering a compound fracture in his leg against the Giants, but he sounded confident that he would be fully healthy for the 2021 season during Wednesday’s press conference

“I’m healthy,” Prescott said. “I’ll be ready when it matters.”.