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Amari Cooper: Dak Prescott deserves top QB money

By Alex Butler
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is working with the team on a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2019. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is working with the team on a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2019. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

June 25 (UPI) -- He has only been his teammate for half a season, but Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper says Dak Prescott deserves one of the most lucrative quarterback contracts in the NFL.

Prescott is set to make a base salary of $2.02 million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2019. The fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft has been negotiating a new deal with the Cowboys this off-season.

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Cooper joined the Cowboys in October after being traded from the Oakland Raiders. He had 725 yards and six scores on 53 catches in nine regular-season games with the NFC East franchise. Cooper also had 171 yards and a score in two playoff games for Dallas.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft came to Dallas in exchange for a pricey first-round pick, but meshed with Prescott immediately.

Cooper told ESPN Monday some of Prescott's success is due to taking "every rep seriously."

"He doesn't miss a rep and I think that's a big part of who he is," Cooper said. "He's just a competitor, he wants to do everything the right way. I haven't played with too many guys like Dak Prescott. So I think he definitely deserves everything that's coming to him.

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"He definitely deserves to be paid amongst the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league."

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson became the highest-paid player in league history this off-season when he inked a four-year, $140 million contract extension. He is set to make an average of $35 million annually. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger makes the second-highest salary on an annual basis ($34 million), followed by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($33.5 million), Philadelphia Eagles star Carson Wentz ($32 million) and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan ($30 million).

Each of the aforementioned quarterbacks has a Super Bowl ring.

Sources told NFL Network the Cowboys offered an extension to Prescott in May, before the quarterback submitted a counteroffer a few weeks later. The Cowboys are also in negotiations with Cooper and star running back Ezekiel Elliott, among others. Sources told NFL Network Prescott is targeting a deal in the neighborhood of $30 million annually.

Prescott was the No. 20 quarterback in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He owns a 32-16 record as a starter in the regular season and has a 1-2 record in the playoffs.

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