Michael Irvin launches fiery rant in defense of Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys receiving legend Michael Irvin launched into a passionate rant in defense of quarterback Dak Prescott on Stephen A. Smith’s show on Monday. Perhaps he was just trying to match the level of showmanship Smith brings to the debate table but Irvin is clearly in the quarterback’s corner.
“I don’t everybody out here to fall into this myth and this mess that you perpetuate like, ‘You got to get rid of Dak, you got to get rid of Dak,” Irvin said on First Take. “And leave us sitting somewhere in purgatory, somewhere between heaven and hell, without a quarterback for the next 15 years!
“Y’all just stop this rhetoric and this mess because your virus will not get into our computer and get us out of the fight. We will stay in the fight. So stop it!”
Prescott led the Cowboys to the second round of the playoffs after missing five games due to a thumb injury. He finished the year with 2,860 passing yards, 182 rushing yards, and a 66.2% completion rate. He scored 23 touchdowns and threw 15 interceptions, adding two more to the total in the playoff loss to San Francisco.
The rhetoric around the Cowboys potentially moving on from Prescott has mainly swirled outside of the Star facilities. Inside, the Dallas leadership has expressed nothing but support for their former fourth-round draft pick. An extension could also be on the table this offseason.
Stephen Jones: Prescott will quarterback team for next ’10 years’
Dallas potentially has some negotiating, restructuring or extending to do on the star’s contract before next season. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said on Wednesday at the Senior Bowl he hopes Prescott will be around for 10 years.
“Dak is going to be our guy for, hopefully, the next 10 years,” Jones said. “You say that’s a long time because he’s already played six or seven, but I think Dak will play that long because he takes care of himself, and he’s driven to be great. And we fully expect him to be here for 10 years.”
Prescott is currently locked in through 2024 but he has a massive cap hit coming in 2023, making a contract extension one of the more palatable options for Dallas. As of now, he would get $31 million in 2023 in fully guaranteed money with a cap hit of $49.13 million. Extending his contract would give him a nice signing bonus and knock down his 2023 salary.
Another option is a contract restructuring. The Cowboys could save roughly $22 million in cap space for 2023. However, the dead money would come into play eventually in 2025.