Colin Cowherd: Dak Prescott is Losing Himself Money

With no Baker Mayfield to chastise, the wrath of Colin Cowherd found a new quarterback target: Dak Prescott.

The Dallas Cowboys thrower has been a topic of discussion all season for matters on and off the field. With his initial NFL deal set to expire after this season, Prescott has reportedly been looking for a new one that would make him the league's highest-paid quarterback. As the Cowboys allowed Prescott to take over for former franchise face Tony Romo and have no clear contingency plan, 2019 was set to be one long audition for such a deal.

Prescott appeared to live up to his end of the bargain in the early going. The Cowboys were on the right end of convincing victories over the Giants, Redskins, and Dolphins to open 3-0. However, Prescott followed up a mediocre performance in a 12-10 loss to New Orleans with a complete dud on Sunday afternoon.

In a high-profile game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, Prescott threw three interceptions, which led to 10 points for the opposition. The Cowboys would trail by as many as 28, as Prescott failed to finish off drives that ventured into Green Bay territory. Dallas eventually fell 34-24 at home, losing their stranglehold on the NFC East lead. They're now tied for first with the Philadelphia Eagles and lead the New York Giants by a mere game.

It was proof enough for Cowherd that Prescott doesn't deserve to be among the league's richest.

"Dak Prescott is losing money in the negotiations," Cowherd said on his FS1 program on Monday. "Dak is clearly a piece, but he is also clearly not a piece."

According to Cowherd, the fact that Prescott partakes in a league saddled with a salary cap doesn't work in his favor. Cowherd began his statements by remarking on the players he'd spend as much as possible for in a salary cap league. The elite list included LeBron James (basketball), Patrick Mahomes (football), and Wayne Gretzky (hockey), who is referred to simply as "The Great One".

"You can win divisions, you can win games. But to get into the trophy room of the Super Bowl, it is overwhelmingly done with unique, special, Hall-of-Fame talents," Cowherd continued. "Dallas and Green Bay played last night. One has already won a (Super Bowl) trophy and may win another. The other has won divisions. Sometimes timing works in your favor, sometimes it works against."

"Dak, to me, is a franchise quarterback and he has a lot of qualities I like. But the film doesn't like and your eyes don't like. When you put him in 'the room'....next to Aaron Rodgers, one's a trophy room guy, and one's a guy with a top offensive line and the best running back that can win games and a division."

To Cowherd's point, Prescott owns a record of 35-18 since taking over as the Cowboys' starter in 2016. His stats have been respectable, earning 12,482 yards and 97 total touchdowns. A career rating of 97.0 already ranks in the top ten amongst qualified passers in NFL history.

However, Prescott has fallen short in plenty of big games as well. The Cowboys are 1-2 in the playoffs since his arrival, and Prescott has struggled against big teams. He tallied nine touchdowns and a 128.0 rating against the lowly opening trio, but those numbers plummeted to two scores and 79.2 rating versus the NFC's elite. The Cowboys have a chance to get back on track against the woebegone New York Jets next week before a crucial Sunday night tilt against Philadelphia arrives on October 20.

Prescott's stats certainly indicate a quarterback worth big dollars. But a deeper look into the resume, particularly a troubling 4-6 record against teams with winning records over the past two seasons, show more must be done to earn his ideal payday.