Odds on Dak Prescott’s Team in 2021, Should He Leave Dallas – Colts Favored
- Quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys didn’t agree on a new contract prior to Wednesday’s deadline
- A prop wager is asking where Prescott will be playing during Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season?
- Will he stay or will he go? Analysis of what the future might hold for Prescott is assessed in the following story
What happens next between Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys? Or, perhaps more significantly, where is Prescott going next?
That’s the question being posed by a prop wager regarding the future of the Cowboys’ starting quarterback.
Designated by the team as their franchise player, once Prescott agreed to the franchise tender the two sides had until Wednesday at 4:00 pm EST to hammer out a deal. When that didn’t transpire, NFL rules regulated that Prescott would be paid $31.4 million this season, all of which counts against the team’s salary cap.
The prop bet asks which NFL team will Prescott be playing for come Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. Currently, with the Indianapolis Colts as the +600 favorite.
Odds on Dak Prescott’s Team for Week 1 of 2021 NFL Season
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | +600 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +700 |
| Chicago Bears | +800 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +800 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +900 |
| New Orleans Saints | +900 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +1000 |
| Washington | +1000 |
| Carolina Panthers | +1200 |
| New England Patriots | +1200 |
| Detroit Lions | +1400 |
| Tennessee Titans | +1400 |
| Miami Dolphins | +1600 |
| Buffalo Bills | +1800 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +2000 |
| New York Jets | +2000 |
| Houston Texans | +2500 |
Odds taken July 16th
It’s curious to note that the Cowboys are not one of the 18 teams on which odds are being offered.
What Will Cowboys Do Next?
Under the NFL’s franchise tag rules, the two sides can’t agree to a new contract until the conclusion of the 2020 regular season on January 3, 2021. The Cowboys could opt to put the franchise tag on Prescott again next year at $37.7 million.
Current estimates are that the Cowboys will have about $41 million in available cap space in 2021, so franchising Prescott again just fits. However, that would leave little money to sign anyone else.
If Dak Prescott plays 2020 and 2021 on the franchise tag, his projected cap hit ($69.1M) would be the largest over a 2-season span in NFL history.
Nonsensical team building.
— Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) July 15, 2020
Going forward in the current scenario makes no economic sense for Dallas but it does for Dak. The reported salary offer to him on a long-term deal was approximately $35 million per season.
He’d get almost that much via the franchise tag over two years.
Oh Brother
By all accounts, negotiations between Prescott and the team have been amiable. So the last thing Prescott probably needed was for his brother to take to social media and troll the Cowboys.
There is a reason I was never a @dallascowboys fan growing up or before they drafted @dak after today, who knows how much longer I’ll be cheering for them.
— Tad Prescott (@86Prescott) July 15, 2020
Announcing on Twitter that he’d never been a Cowboys fan and only acquiesced when the team drafted his brother, Tad Prescott wondered aloud which team he might be cheering for in the future.
Tad probably should’ve read the room first. With millions of Americans out of work and hundreds of thousands dead due to the COVID-19 pandemic, being offended because your sibling will only make $31.4 million this season wasn’t well-received.
Americans across the country are losing their homes, cars, and can barely put food on the table yet Dak Prescott’s brother is not happy with his brothers Dallas Cowboys football contract because he will now have to run around the field with a ball for only $31 million.
Shut up.
— Kambree (@KamVTV) July 15, 2020
For his part, Dak emphasized that there’s no bitterness between him and the team. “I’m a Cowboy and I couldn’t be happier,” he told USA Today.
Prescott Won’t Need a U-Haul
Looking at the list of potential new homes for Prescott in this prop, some make sense. Both the New Orleans Saints (+900) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+1000) are top teams with aging starters under center.
Under normal circumstances, they’d make wise value bets. But these aren’t normal circumstances.
There are 4 quarterbacks in the #NFL over the last 2 seasons that have more Turnovers than Touchdowns vs playoff teams
Mitchell Trubisky
Jameis Winston
Baker Mayfield
Dak PrescottFor me to pay you big money I need you to be at your best when we play the best@PaulHembo
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) July 14, 2020
Prescott is a solid QB who still needs to prove he can be elite. For their part, the Cowboys should study up on the economics of football when it comes to paying starting QBs.
Once both of these matters are resolved, Prescott and the Cowboys will find common ground and get a deal done.
Dak isn’t leaving Dallas.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
