$60M a year?! Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy and tiers of NFL QBs in line for megadeals

The 2023 offseason was a big one for NFL quarterbacks, when four of them — Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert — broke through the $50 million-per-year barrier. It was an exclusive group, reserved only for the truly elite.

Then this past March, four more — Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff — joined the club.

Pretty soon, that $50 million barrier will seem quaint, because that's the way it goes with quarterback contracts. Once the dam is broken at the most important position in sports there's rarely any way to stop the flood of money. And the next guy is almost always going to want more than the last guy got.

And the line is already forming to be that next guy. So here's a look at some of the quarterbacks who could get the next big — or even record-setting — payday, along with the pros and cons of giving them megadeals:

TIER 1: FIRST 5 IN LINE

Dak Prescott , Dallas Cowboys

The situation: The Cowboys quarterback is famously unsigned heading into the final year of his four-year, $160 million contract. Jerry Jones insists he's trying to get a deal done, but there are no signs of progress. The clock is ticking fast with Prescott set to become a free agent in March. He's undoubtedly going to be the first quarterback to break the $60 million barrier. If he hits free agency, he'll clear that bar by a lot.

Pros of a big payday: Prescott has been one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL over the past five years, topping 4,400 yards and 30 touchdowns in each of his fully healthy seasons. He's formed what might be the best QB-WR tandem in the NFL with CeeDee Lamb, and with the Cowboys likely to sign Lamb to a megadeal before the regular season opens. It seems foolish to pay