Dak Prescott is expected to receive a significant salary, either from the Cowboys or another team willing to pay more than $50 million per year if Dallas does not renew his contract after this season.
Russell Wilson’s role as the starter for Pittsburgh’s opening game has not been confirmed, and this season could be his last chance to revive a career that has declined since his standout years in Seattle.
Both Prescott and Wilson are facing important seasons, though their situations are different. Prescott, who was a runner-up for MVP last season, is eager to lead the Cowboys past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time in nearly 30 years.
After a disappointing home wild-card loss to Green Bay last season, Prescott is under pressure to achieve what Tony Romo couldn’t in his ten years as Dallas’s starter.
This season will be Prescott’s ninth attempt, and he is entering the final year of his $160 million, four-year contract. His rookie season was impressive, with Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott leading the Cowboys to the top seed in the NFC, but they lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in their first playoff game.
The Cowboys want to keep Prescott, and he wants to stay, but with 28 years since their last NFC championship game, he remains in a precarious position. The Cowboys last won the Super Bowl after the 1995 season.
