3 Quarterbacks Dak Prescott Could Set the Market for With Contract Extension

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is in an intriguing contractual predicament. He has until July to reach a long-term agreement with Dallas. If the deal is not reached, Prescott will have to play 2020 under the franchise tag. If Prescott were to sign a record-breaking extension, it would have a ripple effect on teams that have young quarterbacks looking for deals in the future. Here are a few QBs Dak could set the market for.

3. Ravens' Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson dropping back to pass against the Titans in the playoffs / Will Newton/Getty Images

No one outside of Baltimore expected that Jackson would be the best quarterback out of the 2018 NFL Draft class. Two years later, Jackson is the reigning MVP of the league and represents the next generation of dual threat quarterbacks. If Prescott breaks the bank, Jackson and his camp will look to do the same. Being the first quarterback ever to throw for 3,000-plus yards and rush for 1,000-plus will give Lamar the necessary leverage.

2. Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson setting up to throw against the Chiefs in the playoffs / Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

As long as Bill O’Brien does not pull a Bill O’Brien, Watson should be the future of the Texans’ franchise. After three productive years in Houston, Watson will be looking for a new contract either at the end of year four or after playing out his fifth-year option. Once Prescott signs, Watson’s agent will look to make the argument that his client is better than Dak and command more money than Dallas’ signal-caller.

1. Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes holding the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIV / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Absolutely no one in NFL history has had more leverage in a pending contract negotiation than Patrick Mahomes with the Chiefs. An MVP in his first year as a starter and then Super Bowl MVP in year two, the sky is the limit for Mahomes’ negotiations with KC. If Prescott and the aforementioned QBs sign deals before Mahomes, Chiefs management could be handing him a blank check to let him pick his number going forward.