The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a tough spot when it comes to their quarterback situation with Dak Prescott. The decision they face is whether to pay him a hefty sum of money to remain with the team as a very good, but perhaps not elite, NFL quarterback, or to let him walk and save money, risking entering a period of uncertainty at the quarterback position.
This dilemma is a result of the broken NFL quarterback market. In a sensible economy, the best player on the best team would be the highest-paid, but that is not the case in the current NFL landscape. This discrepancy adds layers of complexity to an already difficult decision for the Cowboys.
NFL analyst, Peter King, shares his perspective on the issue, “There’s no easy choice here, and a major reason why is that the NFL quarterback market is broken.”
The fact that the highest-paid quarterbacks are not always the most successful adds to the confusion surrounding how teams should approach contract negotiations with their signal-callers. Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, does not seem to have any qualms about his compensation, but the same cannot be said for some of his counterparts.
When looking at the broader implications of this broken market, it becomes clear that teams who overpay for mediocre quarterback talent put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. By allocating a significant portion of the salary cap to a less-talented quarterback, these teams struggle to build a roster capable of competing with teams led by elite quarterbacks like Mahomes.
These teams are essentially betting on the notion that they can surround their quarterback with enough talent to bridge the gap between their QB and the best in the league. However, history shows that this is a risky gamble, with only a few teams managing to find success with a high-paid quarterback in recent years.
The Cowboys, in particular, face a conundrum. Can they afford to commit a large portion of their salary cap to Prescott and still remain competitive? Looking at the cap hits of quarterbacks on conference title teams over the past decade, it becomes clear that success does not always come with a high price tag at the quarterback position.
Ultimately, the decision facing the Cowboys and other teams in similar situations is a challenging one. Do they stick with a quality quarterback and potentially hinder their ability to build a competitive roster around him, or do they take the risk of entering quarterback purgatory in search of a better option? The answer is not clear, but one thing is certain: the NFL quarterback market is in need of a redesign to ensure that the best players are compensated accordingly.
