3 reasons why Dak Prescott is Jerry Jones' $160 million mistake

When Tony Romo went down with an injury early in 2016, not many had Dak Prescott pegged as the quarterback that would effectively take the franchise from him. However, by the end of the season, it was clear that the team was his. Since then, the team has enjoyed plenty of regular-season success.

After years of playing well, the Cowboys eventually rewarded the quarterback with a $160 million contract. In the leadup to the deal, however, many fans and pundits cautioned against the deal, citing concerns. Between signing the inked deal and now, several signs point to the move as a clear mistake by Jerry Jones. Here's a look at how the quarterback has failed to live up to the salary.

#1 - Playoff struggles

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The Cowboys have not won multiple playoff games in a season since the 1990s. Since their success at the time, fans have been quick to point out their struggles in January, even when the team has won upwards of 12 games in the regular season.

Dak Prescott was paid a ton of money after being unable to buck the trend and, barring a two-week run starting today, the quarterback will continue to live under that ceiling. In 2016, the team was knocked out in the divisional round while in 2018, they also lost in the divisional round.

After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Prescott returned to the postseason in 2021, where he lost the opening playoff game. In other words, despite three cracks at getting on a playoff run, he's failed to elevate above Tony Romo and every other quarterback between himself and Troy Aikman.

#2 - Prescott's unpredictable availability

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The deal was struck in the aftermath of Prescott suffering a catastrophic ankle injury in the 2020 NFL season. The injury knocked him out for the season and the team ultimately finished 6-10. However, Jerry Jones still put pen to paper to pay the quarterback even after a worst-case scenario event.

The old cliche of "the best ability is availability" applies here and the tide has begun to turn against the quarterback in this area. If the 2020 injury had been the only mark against him in his career, it could have been called a fluke. However, after the events of the 2022 season, his durability comes into question.

After missing most of 2020, Prescott managed to stay healthy in 2021. In 2022 the injury bug once again caught up to him. In Week 1, he injured his thumb and only played in 12 games, marking two significant injuries in three seasons.

#3 - Turnover troubles

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While Prescott didn't miss the entire season, he ran the risk of tanking it due to the timing of the injury. Getting a team off the ground at the start of the season is much tougher for a backup quarterback than taking over a team already humming along at a fast pace.

That said, backup Cooper Rush came in and did a nice job, proving that the team was good enough to win without their expensive starting quarterback. When the quarterback did return, he didn't play up to snuff. Sure, the team is 12-5 this year and the quarterback is 8-4, but he's been playing worse than his team.

Prescott has had at least one interception in every game except against the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Despite missing a big chunk of the season, he's thrown for more interceptions than in any other season of his career. In other words, unless something changes quickly, the quarterback appears to be on a downward trend.

Of course, if he can get on just a two-game win streak starting today, a lot of these narratives will go up in smoke. Will the quarterback deliver against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers?