Overpaid, injury-prone and overrated are comments that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been subject to this off season.
The team recently had what may be one of their worst off seasons, dealing away arguably the best defensive player in National Football League (NFL) history—linebacker Micah Parsons—to the Green Bay Packers and getting subpar value. To say many fans of the Cowboys are frustrated would be an understatement.
While the Cowboys have the second most cap space in the NFL—the money available to a team to spend on player salaries under the NFL’s salary cap limit—they’ve done very little to address team needs, such as rebuilding their defensive line without Demarcus Lawrence, Parsons and Chauncey Golston, who signed with the rival New York Giants.
The team’s defense has lost other key pieces in addition to an aging secondary and lacking linebacking core. DeMarvion Overshown, one of their strongest defensive players, was also out for the first half of the season with a knee injury.
To go with the defensive losses, the Cowboys signed very little offensive help. While some blamed Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, most point to Prescott, who is taking up most of the Cowboys’ cap space with his massive contract.
Prescott opened up the season with a lot of questions surrounding him after a season-ending hamstring injury last year. He is the league’s highest paid player, with a $240 million contract over four years.
While many blame Prescott for his larger-than-life salary for the Cowboys’ problems, he readjusted it to evidently help the team, yet the Cowboys did little to nothing with the remaining cap space in the end, leaving a sour taste in Cowboys fans’ mouths.
Though he still earns $60 million a year, Prescott also is one of the most pressured players in the league, considering he is the face of one of the most hated teams in the NFL with one of the loudest and biggest fanbases in the world.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith spoke on Prescott’s contract in August, saying, “I’m going give y’all some specific stats and it’s important, with Prescott and his overpaid ass. Two playoff wins in 10 years. Yes, he’s not a scrub. He can ball, but the highest paid quarterback in the NFL? Hell no!”
Smith also spoke on Prescott trying to readjust the contract five times, which some—not Smith—argue would help the team. “That is a grand total of $82 million [in bonuses on top of his salary]. That’s how you know you’re overpaying your quarterback,” Smith said.
The Cowboys’ first nine games of the off season were less than optimal, and defensive struggles have reflected on their record. After a loss on Nov.3rd to the struggling Arizona Cardinals, who have a record of 3-5, the Cowboys sit below .500 and post a measly 3-5-1 record.
The off season buzz has made Cowboys fans very frustrated coming up on the 2025-2026 NFL season, and a lot of the criticism has fallen on Prescott for not properly leading the Cowboys, who have been depleted with injuries and departures.
In addition to Overshown’s knee injury, the Cowboys are struggling with a banged-up offensive line; CeeDee Lamb, who is arguably a top three receiver; and wide receiver KeVontae Turpin, who is out with a foot injury.
However, even though the Cowboys have struggled through the first half of the season, journalist Voch Lombardi said, “If the Cowboys even had the 31st worst defense, (they) would only have 1 loss this season.”
Lombardi highlights the Cowboys’ atrocious defense, who are last in almost every statistic and have allowed an almost league high 397.4 yards per game, as well as giving up 30.8 PPG (points per game). According to ESPN, these stats are only second behind the Cincinnati Bengals.
If the Cowboys’ defense was better, they would be competing for the best team in the National Football Conference (NFC), and this is mainly because of Prescott.
Through the first nine games of this season, Prescott has shown that he is worth every single penny, and has surprised not just Cowboys fans, but the whole league by leading one of the best offenses in football.
According to ESPN, Prescott has still been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, as he is second in the league in passing yards, having 2,319 yards to go along with the 17 touchdowns he’s thrown. He’s also in the top ten of all major quarterback statistics, including passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating.
Prescott is leading the Cowboys to debatably the best offense in the league, with yards, and points. Leading the Cowboys offense which is averaging nearly 400 yards and an absurd 29.2 points per game. His passing game also has opened the way for the Cowboys’ running game, which was the worst in the league last year.
Through Prescott and Javonte Williams, who was signed as a free agent, the Cowboys’ offense is top-tier and keeps opposing defenses second-guessing.
Despite this, blame for the Cowboys’ failures are still aimed at Prescott, who receives hate league-wide. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens spoke up for Prescott, saying, “I don’t understand the hate he gets. He makes great plays. I don’t know what’s not to like.”
In a Cowboys’ 3 game stretch in Late September to Early October, the Cowboys have only won one game, tying with the Packers in a 40-40 shootout, beating the 0-6 New York Jets and falling to the Panthers despite Prescott’s three touchdowns in the air.
However, the Cowboys this Sunday got back in the win column by beating the Washington Commanders the next Sunday 44-22. Prescott played very well, throwing 3 touchdowns and for 264 yards.
According to ESPN, in those four games Prescott threw 133 passes and completed 95 of them (a 71.4 percent completion), throwing for 1,081 yards and having 14 total touchdowns with zero interceptions, with a jaw-dropping 128.1 passer rating (the 2024 average was 92.3).
No quarterback in the NFL has posted numbers close to Prescott’s in the last three outings, but despite this, the Cowboys’ last four games brought a record of 2-1-1.
This proves that Prescott is not the problem with the Cowboys, and the hate for him is unjustified, as the highest paid player in the NFL has played like the league’s best player. Being the highest paid player is a very deserving title for the 10 year veteran, who is posting career-high numbers through the first six games of the 2025 NFL season.
However, after a rough last two games against the Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals, both games where the Cowboys would be embarrassed. The team desperately needs to pick up its slack if they wanna make a post season run.
But with that being said, despite a rough outing against Denver, Prescott has shown the Cowboys what their offense is capable of throughout the first stretch of the season. With 7 games left and half the season to go for the defense, the team needs to turn the record around and seriously compete for the NFC. They will be competing for the division title in the NFC East Conference against the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders.
As some Cowboys fans will still say, “It’s Our Year.”
