Expect to see the names Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott tied together more and more in the coming months, with the Dallas Cowboys quarterback looking to follow the Jacksonville Jaguar as one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
And one former No. 1 pick and MVP thinks there is a case to be made for Prescott to be paid more than the Jaguars’ franchise passer.
“He is worth it. I am looking at the list. The list tells me he’s worth it,” Newton said on his 4th and 1 Podcast.
When looking at the list of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks, Newton ran through the list of passers he would and wouldn’t take Prescott over. Ultimately, Lawrence ended up in the group Newton would not prefer over Prescott.
“I would prefer Dak Prescott over Kirk Cousins. …. Kyler Murray, I would prefer Dak over Kyler Murray. Jalen Hurts? I would prefer Dak over Jalen Hurts. Lamar Jackson? Lamar. Justin Herbert? Dak. Jared Goff? I am going with Jared Goff … Joe Burrow? I am taking Joe Burrow. Trevor Lawrence? I am taking Dak,” Newton said.
“It ain’t what I think Dak to be, it is what the market dictates Dak to be. And Dak is better than half of the guys on this list, so pay the man.”
Prescott’s regular-season production and experience are clearly a step above Lawrence’s, while Lawrence has won the duo’s only head-to-head matchup and provides more youth and long-term upside.
The Jaguars agreed to terms with the quarterback and former No. 1 pick last month, agreeing to a five-year deal worth $275 million with $200 million in guarantees and $142 million fully guaranteed.
Lawrence’s deal will pay him an average of $55 million a season, which ties him with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow as the highest-paid player on an annual basis in the NFL.
Since being drafted No. 1 in 2021, Lawrence has started 50 regular season games. Lawrence ranks fourth in franchise history in passing yards with 11,770 and is fourth in touchdown passes with 58.
Since being drafted, Lawrence has been voted as a team captain by his teammates each year of his NFL career and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 after recording 387 completions for 4,113 passing yards and 25 touchdowns with a passer rating of 95.2.
During the 2023 season, he completed 370 passes becoming the only quarterback in franchise history to start his career with three seasons of at least 300 completions and the second quarterback in team history to record at least 300 completions in three consecutive seasons. He has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week three times in his career, twice in 2022 (Week 3 and 12) and once in 2023 (Week 11).
In his career, Lawrence has also posted 205 rushing attempts for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.