It seems so long ago that we finally settled the story on Dak Prescott's contract situation with the Dallas Cowboys. Fortunately, it was a happy ending for the team's franchise quarterback, with Prescott signing a massive four-year, $160 million deal which will net him $75 million in total cash for the year of 2021. Not too bad, huh?
But getting here wasn't easy, and the whole process is something that's easier for Cowboys to forget about that it is to remember in all of its detail. It's much more fun, anyway, to think about what's to come for the 27-year-old. His future could be very bright, and if different quarterback rankings entering the 2021 season are any indication, that should be the case. Pro Football Focus, for instance, ranks Prescott as the No. 7 signal-caller, ahead of names like Lamar Jackson and well before the rest of the NFC East's quarterbacks. NBC Sports' Chris Simms wasn't quite as high on Prescott, placing him as the No. 9 quarterback as he unveiled his annual list. Feel free to listen to his analysis of Prescott in the Cowboys offense and why he's confident in him, even after a season-ending injury in 2020.
It's all there in the above video, so watch away — it's just that I'm going to focus on a different part of the video, one that starts at around the 10:18 mark and has to do with a report Simms shared on 105.3 The Fan about Prescott's contract situation that NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport (a.k.a RapSheet on Twitter) disputed shortly after.
Simms: ...so he brings a little of everything to the table and I'm happy he got paid and everything like that, and he's the man.
Ahmed Fareed: Did you ever take a victory lap on that? On the contract for Dak, at all?
Simms: Oh, you mean the fact that I was kind of right?
Fareed: Four-year deal, $160 million deal, $126 in guarantees, puts him up there with the highest-paid quarterbacks of all time. I feel like that's something that you said at some point, that their side tried really hard to throw water on.
Simms: Well, yeah, Ian Rap-Sh*t, he said something. So that kinda, you know, started it right there. He got called by the agent and said, you know, sent out a tweet to, you know, dispel Chris Simms and what he said.
Fareed: 'Yeah, he's wrong,' but he didn't say how you were wrong.
Simms: No, he just said I was wrong, 'don't believe Chris Simms.' Don't believe Rap-Sh*t.
Ultimately, we still don't know for sure whether or not Prescott turned down a five-year deal. But as Fareed points out... how long was the deal? Four years. How much is that last year of the contract worth? $47.2 million, which satisfied Prescott's reported desire of a final year worth north of $45 million. So maybe Simms' report was right. We really can't say.
Either way, Simms says that rather than a proper victory lap, his little social media disagreement with Rapoport isn't a serious beef or anything.
"No, I really didn't [take a victory lap], but I'm calling him Rap-Sh*t right now, so that feels good. So maybe I'll hear from him later today or something like that," Simms said. "It's all in good fun. I don't care that he did that to me, but I am gonna bust him when I get a chance."
Friendly NFL player rivalries are fun, and as it turns out, the same thing goes for NFL reporters.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram