Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers Face Pressure After Dallas Cowboys' Offseason, Green Bay Packers' Draft

The starting quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers arguably face more scruiting than any NFL players each year. That will be the case even more so in the 2020 season.

Dallas used the franchise tag on Dak Prescott in March, and the two sides continue to discuss a long-term deal. Prescott will likely either sign one of the richest contracts in league history, or he’ll earn $31.4 million before heading toward 2021 free agency.

Rodgers will be back under center for Green Bay in Week 1, but there’s already speculation that he’ll be gone well before his contract runs out at the end of the 2023 season. The Packers traded up in the first round of this year’s draft to select quarterback Jordan Love.

WIll Dallas regret paying Prescott so much money? Could Green Bay look to replace Rodgers sooner than anticipated?

Prescott’s overall numbers in 2019 suggest that he should be among the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks. He finished last season ranked second in passing yards (4,092), fourth in touchdowns (30) and fifth in yards per attempt (8.2).

The Cowboys had the No.1 ranked offense. Dallas was sixth with 27.1 points per game.

It wasn’t simply the defense that kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs with an 8-8 record. Prescott and Dallas’ offense struggled against the most difficult part of their schedule, going 1-6 against postseason teams.

The Cowboys failed to score more than 15 points in four of those losses. Prescott threw for eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions against playoff teams.

Since being taken by Dallas in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, Prescott has made every start for the Cowboys. The quarterback is 40-24 with no losing seasons and two NFC East titles. He’s led Dallas to two appearances in the divisional playoffs.

After hiring new head coach Mike McCarthy and re-signing both Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliot to record contracts over the last eight months, Dallas has championship aspirations in 2020.

Rodgers has won a Super Bowl and led the Packers to four NFC Championship appearances, including one in January. Green Bay was defeated by the San Francisco 49ers 37-20 in the conference title game after winning the NFC North and earning the No.2 seed with a 13-3 record.

It marked the Packers’ best season in nearly a decade. By several measures, it was one of Rodgers’ worst individual seasons.

Rodgers had the NFL’s best interception rate for a second straight year and was picked off just four times. The 36-year-old was tied for eighth with 26 passing touchdowns. He didn’t crack the top-10 in any other major category

Rodgers finished 11th in passing yards (4,002), 12th in passer rating (95.4) and 17th in yards per attempt (7.0). He was 21st in completion percentage (62.0), finishing directly behind Mason Rudolph.

The 2016 season was the last time Rodgers finished with a triple-digit passer rating. Much of the blame can be attributed to Green Bay’s playmakers, which the team failed to significantly upgrade in free agency or the draft. As the quarterback heads into his 16th NFL season, he might no longer be capable of putting together an MVP-caliber campaign.

Rodgers is tied with Jared Goff for the league’s third-highest average salary. Prescott will probably be the seventh-highest paid player in 2020, at worst.

The Packers and Cowboys are both favored to win their respective divisions and contend for next year’s Super Bowl.