DALLAS — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's contract negotiation was seemingly everywhere this week.
Let’s get this out of the way off the bat. We’re not going to entertain any talk of $40 million per year.
If that number was indeed floated in contract talks it was nothing more than negotiation. Neither Prescott nor his reps think he should make that amount of money.
Now, I get the sense many people are trying to figure out why he wouldn't just take the $30 million a year offer that's on the table. It's so much more than he's making now, you'd think he'd be satisfied.
But here's the deal: perhaps he would have taken that amount earlier in the off-season, but everything changed on June 6.
That's when Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz signed a 4-year $128-million extension. With the new deal, Wentz will average $32 million a year.
Not only did it change the market, but also the thinking of Prescott’s agent, Todd France of CAA.
That's because you can quite easily make the case that Prescott has out-performed Wentz.
I’m sure there are many of you who may believe Wentz is a better quarterback, but when France can show the production between the two, the case is compelling.
Check out these numbers:
Prescott has the edge in head-to-head matchups, winning three of four. He also has more division titles, playoff wins, overall wins, and total touchdowns.
Prescott’s QB Rating tops Wentz 96.0 to 92.5.
So, as you can see, there are plenty of metrics that can back up Prescott's argument. Meanwhile, Wentz leading in a stat you don't want to -- he's missed eight games and durable Prescott hasn't missed any.
So, you can see why Prescott or his representatives wouldn't want to settle for less than Wentz’s $32 million per year, on average.
And frankly, I don't blame him.