Dak Prescott, Overrated or Overhated?

By Trevor Speetzen November 08, 2024 10:00

Photo by Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Dak Prescott has been the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys since 2016 and he has faced ridicule his whole career. Some of it is justified while some can sound outright ridiculous.

There are plenty of reasons why Prescott gets a lot of hate from NFL fans and experts, but what makes it stand out is the big contract extension that he signed at the beginning of the season.

On Sept. 8, 2024 Prescott signed a four-year deal worth $240 million with $231 million. His $60 million annual salary made him the highest paid player for the 2024 season and that comes with great expectations.

It’s safe to say that Dallas has not met expectations this season as the team currently sits with a 3-5 record. Dak himself has struggled as well, not living up to the expectations of the league’s highest paid quarterback.

While Prescott gets much of the blame and hate, he is playing without many of his weapons which included wide receiver Brandin Cooks. But it isn’t just this season, it’s also past seasons that have given Dak his reputation.

In eight previous seasons, Prescott and the Cowboys have made the playoffs five times and in that span they have only won two playoff games.

However, there is a reason why Dak got such a major contract. He has been extremely consistent for Dallas over the past eight years and the Cowboys seem to always have a winning record, besides this season.

The only year where Dak and Dallas finished the season with a losing record was the 2020 season. That year he finished the season 2-3 after only five starts after suffering a season ending ankle injury.

Prescott's career win-loss record is 76-46 in 122 career starts. He’s thrown for over 3,000 passing yards and 213 passing touchdowns and only 82 interceptions.

While some of the criticism can be justified, it does seem that Prescott is more overrated than overrated. However, his legacy once again took a major hit during this season.

Along with a poor record this season, Prescott suffered a hamstring injury in the week 9 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. It turns out that Prescott suffered a partial avulsion of his right hamstring that’ll sideline him for weeks.

This loss will hurt the Cowboys even more as they’re already in the midst of a losing season. The news kept getting worse for Prescott and his injury.

It was further revealed that a portion of Dak’s tendon in his hamstring has torn off the bone and may require season-ending surgery. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy spoke about Prescott to Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press.

“He’s still going through the process,” McCarthy told Dixon. “I visited with him again this morning on it. He’s still collecting information, different opinions, and that will continue through next week. But he’s here every day.”

With Prescott seemingly out for awhile, the Cowboys will now have the choice of starting Cooper Rush or Trey Lance for the during Dak’s absence.