Inside The Star
The Dallas Cowboys head coach search is in full swing, and every sports website out there is watching the situation unfold with a fine-toothed comb and a microscope. Cowboys fans like me are disgusted with the fact that the current leading candidate for the job is OC Brian Schottenheimer.
Cowboys’ Owner/GM Jerry Jones is notorious for paying his coaches well below market value, and hiring Schottenheimer, a first-time head coach, would allow him to pay a smaller amount, and fill the contract with incentives instead of guaranteed money. How can the owner of the most valuable sports franchise in the world be so cheap?
Jerry does have one excuse to refute that question, however. Hours before the kickoff in Cleveland for the season’s first game, Jones signed franchise QB Dak Prescott to the richest contract in NFL history. Prescott signed a contract worth $240 million for the length of four seasons, averaging $60 million per year.
That number put Prescott at the top of the QB food chain as far as average annual salary goes, and it also brought much scrutiny from analysts across all major sports networks, as well as a particular group of fans on social media. How can the Cowboys pay other players if they are paying the quarterback so much money?
I still don’t think paying the quarterback top-dollar cripples the salary cap, but the 2024 season results for the NFL’s top-paid quarterbacks only strengthens that theory. Let’s analyze how the 2024 season went for the league’s top-eight highest-paid quarterbacks to understand why it gives the theory legs.
Average Annual Salary: $60 million
2024 Season Result: 3-5 record, missed playoffs
Dak Prescott is the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, but he sure didn’t look like it in his limited time this season. Prescott tore his hamstring off the bone eight games into the season, and it was the Cooper Rush show after Dak headed to Injured Reserve.
The offense as a whole did not look like the unit that was near the top of the league in yards and scoring for the previous three seasons. Highly-paid quarterbacks are supposed to make up for deficiencies in the offense, but Prescott was far from that this year.
Average Annual Salary: $55 million
2024 Season Result: 9-8 record, missed playoffs
Joe Burrow had an MVP-worthy season in 2024, showing he definitely deserves to be at the top of the list on the financial side as well. Does it make sense for the franchise, though?
It sounds crazy to question you wanting Joe Burrow as your quarterback, but Cincinnati has had so much trouble keeping him upright for years now. Despite Burrow’s career year, the Bengals missed the playoffs. Could some of Burrow’s money have been invested in better players on the offensive line?
Average Annual Salary: $55 million
2024 Season Result: 2-8 record, missed playoffs
Trevor Lawrence had the worst record of the quarterbacks...
