With Dak Prescott's extension, Cowboys legacy is on the line - ESPN

FRISCO, Texas — Now that Dak Prescott has signed another mega-contract to be the Dallas Cowboys' starting quarterback, however many years he has left will be about legacy.

He has his money. Before signing the most-recent deal, he cashed in more than $160 million, with a little more than $4 million on his rookie deal (2016-19), $31.4 million on the franchise tag in 2020 and $126 million from 2021 to 2023. And he can earn $240 million on his latest deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But in order for Prescott to move from a very good statistical quarterback to one of the best in Cowboys history, he has to do something he has not done yet: get to a Super Bowl. Maybe even win it.

It is not entirely fair, but those are the standards in Dallas set by Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

Prescott has done just about everything else in his first eight years as the starting quarterback. He has set the team record for touchdown passes in a season (37). By the end of next season, he should surpass Tony Romo (34,183) as the franchise leader in passing yards. He is 45 touchdown passes shy of Romo's record (247). He has won the NFC East four times. He has been to the Pro Bowl. In 2023, he had his best season and was named All-Pro and finished second in MVP voting. He was named the winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

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But he has not gotten past the second round of the playoffs, and the stench from the wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers in January still hangs over the entire organization.

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