Ron Jenkins/Associated Press Two contenders, two esteemed quarterbacks and one fundamental difference in motivation. Two-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott wants the Dallas Cowboys to outdo the current market for his service. Super Bowl champion, 13-time Pro Bowler and definite Hall of Famer Drew Brees is willing to take a discount if it lets his team better itself elsewhere.
Prescott is 26 and waltzing into his first contract on the open market, and the fourth-round-pick-turned-franchise-quarterback is now ready to set himself up for life.
Brees is 41, has earned $90.3 million in signing bonuses alone in his 19-year career and is now ready to try for one last shot at a Super Bowl.
Prescott did have a strong season despite the Cowboys going just 8-8. He threw for the second-most yards in the league (4,902) and the fourth-most touchdowns (30) while adding another 277 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
His quarterback rating (100.8, 10th-highest in the league) and completion rate (65.1 percent, 13th-highest) weren't eye-openers, but they're not deal-breakers either. A Jerry Jones team that considers itself a contender despite an unfortunate 2019 season is going to pay up for its best long-term option.
But the length of that term is precisely what's in question. NFL.com's Jane Slater that Prescott's deal "right now, as it sits, is more than Jared Goff's" but that while Prescott "is leaning more toward a four-year deal, of course, the Cowboys want a lengthier deal."
Goff signed a four-year, $134 million deal with the contending Los Angeles Rams, and the team promptly lost its mojo and dropped to 9-7 after going 13-3 and making it to the Super Bowl a year prior. Dallas fans will have to wonder if they can become a true contender with Prescott eating up so much of their team's cap.
The Brees situation is a lot easier to decipher. Yes, he led the league in completion percentage (74.3) and his 27-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio helped bolster a 116.3 quarterback rating (second-highest in league). And yes, his 8-3 record as a starter dwarfs Prescott's mark.
But, most importantly, Brees wants to be a Saint and is "willing to settle for a below-market contract with the team," per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Pro Football Talk). That means he'll be back in New Orleans next season, and the Saints will be back in contention.
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