Imagine signing a $240 million contract extension with a franchise that hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1996. In the first year of your extension, you suffer an injury midway through the season, forcing your team—already stuck on a losing streak—to rotate between its backup quarterbacks. Suddenly, the prestige of your massive contract starts to fade. That’s exactly the situation Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is in right now.
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Prescott was the highest-paid NFL player of 2024, earning $86.4 million in salary and $14 million in endorsements, totaling an eye-watering $100.4 million. Remarkably, he has surpassed stars including Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes to claim the top spot in the league even though he played fewer games than them all in 2024.
Even more surprising, Prescott’s 2024 earnings exceed those of Shohei Ohtani—despite the MLB superstar signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Ohtani collects $70 million in salary, his endorsements amount to just $2.5 million, possibly reflecting Major League Baseball’s declining influence in the advertising space.
Expectedly, fans were stunned to see Prescott leading the league in earnings, with his total $29.9 million higher than Ohtani’s. One fan, in particular, expressed shock at how NFL quarterback contracts have skyrocketed over the years.
The fact that Dak is the highest paid player in the NFL says all.ypu need to know about how messed up qb contracts are rn.
— Chris For the Win (@superninerfan74) February 23, 2025
Another NFL fan highlighted the Cowboys’ inability to spend big on the other players and blamed Dak Prescott’s contract as the primary reason.
No wonder the Cowboys can't pay for anything else 🤣
— MysteriousViper88 (@mviper89) February 23, 2025
One fan called it an “insult” that Dak Prescott is the highest-earning player in the NFL.
Having Dak Prescott be the highest paid football player is such an insult to the sport
— Ohio Divided (@BuckeyeNatty) February 23, 2025
Dak is the goat at being overpaid for mid production
— Allan Housell (@housell10) February 23, 2025
Fans are clearly unhappy with Dak being the highest-paid NFL player, citing his lack of Super Bowl success, and the Cowboys’ own struggles in the 2025 season.
When it comes to the world’s highest-earning athletes, soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list with $260 million—a staggering $251 million from salary and $45 million from endorsements. Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry followed in second, with $100 million in endorsements making up for his relatively “modest” $53 million salary, bringing his total earnings to $153 million. Interestingly, Prescott had a better annual salary in comparison to Curry in 2024.
But what about the Cowboys’ 7-10 season? Days after the Eagles won Super Bowl 2025, Dak Prescott reflected on the Cowboys’ chances in the NFC, saying they have “competed with the Eagles and beat them for the most part” in their matchups. He also expressed confidence in Dallas’ championship aspirations:
“I don’t want to say, check the record, when the other guy is holding the trophy, right? So credit to them. They’ve earned it, and they deserve it by all means. But, yeah, we’re very close,” Prescott added.
After undergoing surgery for a gruesome hamstring injury, Prescott is now focused on the 2025 season. But, the question remains — can Prescott prove he’s worth his record-breaking contract by leading the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl win of the 21st century next season?
