When Dallas signed free agent quarterback Andy Dalton on Saturday, Cowboys insider Mike Fisher had one immediate thought: What does this mean for Dak Prescott?
So he called his sources and asked.
“They told me it means nothing as far as Dak Prescott’s contract,” Fisher said on After Hours with Amy Lawrence. “It is not meant as a threat to Prescott.”
Based on the contract details, Fisher agrees 100 percent.
“What’s on the table for Dak Prescott right now are two things,” Fisher said. “One is the franchise money, which is $31.4 million guaranteed. That’s the downside. That’s the worst that can happen. What’s also on the table is the Cowboys have offered him a five-year deal, $106 million guaranteed, $35 million (annual salary). Nobody is getting insulted here in these negotiations. That would put him in Russell Wilson range, making him one of the two highest-paid – and maybe the highest-paid player – in the history of football. That’s no insult.”
Dalton’s contract, meanwhile, is laced with incentives. If he backs up Prescott all season, he will earn $3 million. In order to make the full $7 million, he has to play 35 percent of snaps in the regular season, lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, play at least 50 percent of snaps in the Super Bowl, and win the Super Bowl.
That’s a tall task for a quarterback who has never won a playoff game.
“So think of it this way,” Fisher said. “One quarterback is being offered $35 million a year. The other quarterback is being offered $3 million. What kind of a controversy is that?”