'Pay The Man': Former Eagles QB Donovan McNabb Weighs In On Dak Prescott's Contract Negotiations With Cowboys
(CBSDFW.com)- While the Dallas Cowboys have received plenty of plaudits for their performance in April's draft, there is still a big question looming over the team. Will they agree to a contract extension with quarterback Dak Prescott?
The 26-year-old QB finished out the last year of his rookie deal in 2019-20 with his most productive season to date, throwing for over 4,900 yards with 30 touchdowns, both career-highs. But, the Cowboys missed the playoffs and Prescott struggled in a crucial game against Philly in December that essentially cost the team the division.
The blame can't all fall on Prescott's shoulders of course, but the end to the season has seemed to cast a pall over negotiations. The team placed the franchise tag on Prescott in March, meaning he'll make $31 million in the upcoming season. However, a long-term deal is the desire. As negotiations drag on into the summer, it seems the two sides are still in their separate corners on the negotiations.
For former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, the decision is an easy one.
"Pay the man. Pay the man because I'm going to tell you one thing. If you franchise him, say he has half of Jameis Winston's season and y'all make it to the NFC Championship Game or the second round of the playoffs and he passed for 5,000 yards and 35 touchdowns and maybe 12-13 picks. You know how much money he's going to ask for?" said McNabb on The Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer. "You think it's a problem now. It's going to be a major problem if Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes sign their contract."
Cowboys fans are likely to hate agreeing with a former Eagles QB, but McNabb points out that quarterback contract extensions tend to only build upon the last deal that was signed. Putting Prescott in the same conversation as Mahomes is a difficult task, and Watson is a tough comp as well. Prescott is unlikely to have a similar contract to either of those two, but he can point to his production as being similar to or better than division-rival Carson Wentz who just signed a 4-year $128 million contract extension with $107 million guaranteed prior to last season.
The debate over the contract terms notwithstanding, McNabb says that the team not having their starting quarterback locked while bringing in a new coach in Mike McCarthy, is sad to see.
"The sad part about this whole deal is, you just brought in a new coach who is trying to implement his whole offense to all of these guys virtually. But maybe the quarterback, who is supposed to be running the offense, is still trying to figure out whether he's going to be traded or re-signed as a franchise guy," said McNabb. "That's embarrassing. I don't care who you drafted. You could have drafted one of the top name players coming out at any skill position. It don't matter who you drafted, who you bring in, you still haven't signed your quarterback."
You can hear McNabb's full conversation with Custer in the video above or on The Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer YouTube channel and anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.
