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The Dallas Cowboys are in a tricky spot. Trevor Lawrence just signed a huge contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and now Dak Prescott wants a new deal too.
Prescott has done more in his career than Lawrence.
Dallas could’ve already paid Prescott, but they’re still negotiating. Prescott might earn $60 million per season on a long-term deal, and that number keeps rising as other top quarterbacks sign new contracts. Lawrence got $55 million, so Prescott has a point about not being paid yet.
Eventually, the Cowboys and Prescott should come to an agreement. They need him because finding a good quarterback in the NFL Draft is really hard. If they let Dak go or trade him, many teams would want him. Stable QB play is rare in the NFL; just ask the teams struggling at the bottom.
Dak Prescott isn’t the only quarterback issue for the Cowboys. The backup QB spot is also up in the air. Trey Lance is impressing in minicamp, while Cooper Rush is the current backup.
The Cowboys know what they have in Rush. He’s either a low-end starter or a top-tier backup. Lance, though, is more of a mystery. That’s why he’s likely to get a lot of reps in training camp. As Brad Martin wrote last week, “When Dak isn’t on the field in practice or preseason, it’s more likely than not going to be the Trey Lance show.”
Rush’s consistency might actually hurt his chances to stay as the backup. If Lance performs well in preseason, he could take the job. Plus, the uncertainty around Prescott’s contract means Lance might get more playing time.
Rush is a solid backup and would be an upgrade for many teams. But he doesn’t have the same potential as Lance, which is part of the problem for Dallas.
