3 Stats That Prove the Cowboys Shouldn't Pay Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys are caught between a rock and a hard place, as they know that they have to pay franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, but are unwilling to give in to his demands that would make him the highest-paid quarterback in the league. Dak has proven himself in this league, but his contract demands are bordering on the absurd, especially given some concerning stats over the last few years that work against him.

3. He's Never Led the League in Any Passing Category

Prescott has never been an elite passer / Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Prescott's new contract is almost assuredly going to make him the highest-paid player in the league, and he will earn that title despite a lack of elite production, as he has never led the league in yards, touchdowns, passer rating, or yards per attempt. he's a rock-solid starting quarterback in this league, but we need to see some Russell Wilson-type production before we give him a Russell Wilson contract.

2. He Struggles Against Good Teams

Prescott has struggled against the best in the league / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Prescott looks like Roger Staubach against teams like the Redskins and Dolphins, but he morphs into Quincy Carter against the better teams in football. Prescott is 35-11 against teams with nine or fewer wins, but 5-13 against teams with 10 or more wins. His TD/INT ratio is almost 1:1 with 22 TDs and 19 picks, and his QBR dropped from second against poor teams to 19th against the elite. For $35 million, you'd expect a solid performance against a playoff team every now and again.

1. Huge QB Contracts Rarely Work Out

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins / Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

If Prescott gets paid his $35 million per season, he will soak up around 17.6 percent of the Cowboys cap. Recent history has proven a quarterback taking up that much room is a death knell for championship aspirations. Only one quarterback in the last five years has been accounted for over 15 percent of the cap and made it to the Super Bowl, and that was former MVP Matt Ryan. We all know what happened in his championship game. Given how much the Cowboys are paying to Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and Demarcus Lawrence, they would essentially sit free agency out if they give him this deal.