Cowboys Rumors: Jerry Jones Made '$40M Mistake' with Dak Prescott Contract

The Dallas Cowboys' hesitance to back up to the Brinks truck for Dak Prescott this offseason may lead to them needing a second truck next time around.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported executives around the league believe Jerry Jones made a "$40 million mistake" by not extending Prescott before contracts for Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were completed.

Prescott will make $31.4 million in 2020 under the franchise tag. Mahomes' new contract paid him an average annual salary of $45 million; Watson is averaging $39 million per year. 

It's a virtual certainty Prescott will want to eclipse the contract signed by Watson, with whom he has similar career accomplishments. The final number will depend on how Prescott performs in 2020. A deep playoff run, combined with a redux of his 2019 counting stats, may result in demands that approach Mahomesian numbers.

Whatever the case, Prescott stands to make significantly more money next offseason than he would have if he signed the deal Dallas offered him in July. 

"I admire him because he never blinks," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan, per USA Today. "I'd have said, 'Run in there and take that big guarantee and sign up.' But I do think he's made money playing it out. We'll see what happens with the cap and how the virus affects our revenues for the upcoming couple of years.

"But in general, barring something like that where we really continue to struggle from a revenue standpoint of no fans and reduced revenue…he's bet on himself and bet wisely. He's answered every bell, every call."

It's possible, if not likely, Prescott winds up with the franchise tag again in 2021—at least temporarily. By the time he's inked to his new deal and the next handful of years play out, it's possible Prescott will wind up being the highest-paid quarterback of his generation.