The Cowboys owe Dak back pay, according to Michael Irvin.
Dallas and quarterback Dak Prescott are still engaged in a stand-off, presumably, with Prescott looking for a massive payday and the Cowboys seemingly unwilling to budge on their price. But Hall of Famer and Cowboys legend Irvin is working hard in Prescott's corner to get that man his money.
Speaking on "The Rich Eisen Show" last week, Irvin came to bat once again for Prescott, praising his character and saying the Cowboys "stole" the first four years of his career and owe him money for the player and person he's been since then.
"Dak has been not great, not great, Dak has been perfect — perfect," Irvin said. "Not necessarily in wins and losses, of course. But I’m talking about just the person that he’s been. The kind of investment you want to make, the kind of guy you say, 'Man, we hit it with this guy. We got him in the fourth round.' You stole four years, so whatever he gets he deserves because you still owe him back pay."
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Irvin is referring to the fact that Prescott was selected in the fourth round and has outplayed the terms of his contract since being named Dallas starter in 2016. Prescott signed a four-year, $2,723,393 contract, with just $383,393 guaranteed when entering the league, and plans to play on the franchise tag this year. Rumors swirled of Prescott turning down a massive contract extension earlier in the offseason.
For comparison, oft-injured NFC East counterpart Carson Wentz signed a four-year, $26,676,338 pact when he was selected No. 2 overall in the same draft. Wentz recently signed a big-time contract extension, worth $128,000,000 over four years, with $107,970,683 guaranteed and an average annual salary of $32,000,000.
While there's room to argue where the blame for the Cowboys' wishy-washy records during the Prescott era should fall, one thing is certain: Prescott is going to get his money, because that's the business of football.
