The $40 Million Question: Why Dak Prescott Earns More Than…
The Cowboys and 49ers are once again set to play in a huge matchup on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 8. The game marks their fourth time playing in either the regular season or playoffs since the start of 2022.
These two teams have built their rosters in different ways, but nothing shows the contrast more than each team’s quarterback’s contracts.
How do the quarterback’s contracts compare? Sporting News breaks them down.
Dak Prescott-Brock Purdy contract comparison
| Dak Prescott | Brock Purdy | |
| 2024 Base Salary | $1.25 million | $985K |
| 2024 Cap Hit | $43.4 million | $1 million |
| 2024 Dead Cap | $195.27 million | $38.5K |
| 2025 Base Salary | $47.75 million | $1.1 million |
| 2025 Cap Hit | $89.88 million | $1.1 million |
| 2025 Dead Cap | $151.88 million | $19.25K |
| Annual Average Value | $60 million | $934K |
While the differences between all these numbers are stark, the biggest difference comes in annual average value. With his new contract, Prescott makes over $59 million more than Purdy, the largest difference between two starting quarterbacks in the league.
Dak Prescott contract
Despite signing the extension, Prescott is currently in the final year of his previous deal that paid him $160 million over four season starting in 2021. Those numbers are still gaudy, a $43.4 million cap hit with a $195.27 million dead cap, but they aren’t quite next year’s numbers, when Prescott will account for just under $90 million against the cap.
Prescott’s new extension runs through the 2028 season, and his cap hit will be at least $62 million in each of the four seasons until then.
Brock Purdy contract
Purdy, meanwhile, will be in the final year of his rookie deal next year before becoming able to cash in. Since San Francisco went to the NFC championship game in Purdy’s first season as a starter, the team will have gotten the benefit of an inexpensive starting quarterback for four straight seasons.
Purdy’s entire deal is a four-year, $3.7 million deal that he signed after the 49ers drafted him in 2022. While Prescott is the highest-paid player in the league with $60 million a year, Purdy is ranked No. 84 among quarterbacks alone behind the likes of Skyler Thompson and Jake Browning. Only Tyson Bagent, Sam Ehlinger and Tommy DeVito make less money than Purdy among quarterbacks, per Sportrac.
Largest QB salaries
| Rank | Player | AAV |
| No. 1 | Dak Prescott | $60 million |
| No. 2 | Joe Burrow | $55 million |
| No. 2 | Trevor Lawrence | $55 million |
| No. 2 | Jordan Love | $55 million |
| No. 5 | Tua Tagovailoa | $53.1 million |
| No. 6 | Jared Goff | $53 million |
| No. 7 | Justin Herbert | $52.5 million |
| No. 8 | Lamar Jackson | $52 million |
| No. 9 | Jalen Hurts | $51 million |
| No. 10 | Kyler Murray | $46.1 million |
While Prescott leads the list, Purdy is still waiting for his big extension. However, when the 49ers finally choose to extend their quarterback, Purdy will be near the top of the list, if not No. 1.
