Dak Prescott among NFC quarterbacks under most pressure in 2024

This probably goes without saying. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is under a ton of pressure as he and his teammates ready for the start of training camp.

CBS Sports ranked the top five quarterbacks in the NFC who have the biggest reasons to feeling the stress. Prescott ranked fourth. You probably can make the case whether he should be in the top spot.

Cody Benjamin wrote of Prescott:

“On one hand, Prescott’s representation probably isn’t feeling too much pressure: With Dallas potentially letting the Pro Bowler play out his current contract, the ninth-year veteran is bound for a major 2025 free-agent payday barring a major injury or regression. Still, it’s pretty clear Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is finally skeptical of his quarterback’s ceiling, telling us with his hesitation to extend Prescott yet again that the postseason hiccups haven’t gone unnoticed.

“So if Dak desires to remain the face of this franchise, he and coach Mike McCarthy almost have to deliver more than a one-and-done playoff run.“

The Cowboys haven’t made it to an NFC title game, much less a Super Bowl, since 1996. Back then, the current Dallas quarterback was in his terrible twos back home in Louisiana. The Cowboys like to say it’s all about the Super Bowl, but with no results nearly three decades, it just sounds like so much lip service.

Since their last Super Bowl win, the Cowboys have qualified as the top seed in the NFC playoffs only two times. The first was in 2007. Tony Romo and his teammates lost in their playoff opener to the Giants. The second came in 2016, when Prescott was the rookie starter. Dallas also fell in the first round of the post season to the Packers, thanks to a sensational late play by Aaron Rodgers.

Prescott and the Cowboys finished last year’s regular season with a 12-5 record. Then they lost badly to the Packers at AT&T Stadium to open the playoffs. It was the sixth time in 10 years in which Dallas was one-and-done in the post season.

So there’s no on-field pressure on Prescott, right? Now toss in some financial details for this season. Prescott will be in his final season with the Cowboys unless owner Jerry Jones gives him a new lucrative deal. The team reports to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., next week, with the first practice set for Thursday.

Prescott earns $40 million a year, which is low by today’s standards. The going rate for a starting playoff quarterback is $50 million and beyond. The highest paid is Joe Burrow at $55 million. Trevor Lawrence agreed to the same yearly amount, but his big salary won’t start until 2025. There are two other quarterbacks who can shatter the $55 million ceiling — Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa. Both are in talks with their respective teams about new deals. There is speculation that Prescott is waiting for Love and Tagovailoa to accept their contracts before he finalizes with the Cowboys.

So Prescott has all this to ponder. Getting back on the field might do lots to lower the stress. Are you curious about the other quarterbacks who could be under the most stress? Try Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Derek Carr (Saints), Kirk Cousins (Falcons) and Daniel Jones (Giants).