Are the Cowboys - and the fans - getting their money's worth?

[OGSixshooter]

I saw that Steph Curry makes $60mm/year. Got me thinking, who are the other athletes who are in the $60mm club.

Know something? Every one of them is a champion and MVP in their sport. Except one.

Athlete	Sport	Annual figure	What it measures
Patrick Mahomes	NFL	$63.1M	Average on his reworked Chiefs deal, which moved him ahead of Dak.
Stephen Curry	NBA	$62.6M	2026–27 salary.
Nikola Jokić	NBA	$59.0M	2026–27 salary.
Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis	NBA	$58.5M each	2026–27 salary. Joel Embiid is also close at $58.1M.
Lewis Hamilton	Formula 1	~$60M	Estimated 2026 Ferrari base salary. Max Verstappen is estimated at ~$70M.
Erling Haaland	Soccer	~$60M	Estimated on-field earnings over 12 months, which can include bonuses and club image rights. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé were estimated at ~$70M each on the same basis. si.com

Two other big names come with timing differences. Shohei Ohtani averages $70M on paper, with $2M paid annually during the deal and $680M deferred. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s extension was originally projected at about $71M per year starting in 2027–28, with the exact value tied to the NBA salary cap.

 

[shabazz]

Jerrys not getting his moneys worth.

Most fans have little to no monetary investment in this team......just a few hours a week to watch the novelty act

 

[OGSixshooter]

Jerrys not getting his moneys worth.

Most fans have little to no monetary investment in this team......just a few hours a week to watch the novelty act

I don't go to the games, so you're right. But if you pay for NFL Sunday Ticket, attend the games or even buy merch...you're getting hit with the Dakota Tax...without the MVP or the Chip.

 

[Whyjerry]

Is a franchise being a league wide laughingstock worth anything?

I ask because that's really what the Dallas Cowboys are. A failed vanity project.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Jerrys not getting his moneys worth.

Most fans have little to no monetary investment in this team......just a few hours a week to watch the novelty act

Right and I’d argue if Jerry only cares about making money then for a 15 billion evaluation he’s getting his moneys worth lol

 

[RonWashington]

18 game schedule all nights of the week to far flung places on the globe some with nationwide riots this commish and these owners. I can remember a 14 game schedule when the concept in the 70’s of MNF was radical . This is now turning into the NBA .

 

[ClintDagger]

I’m old enough to remember people saying that Dak’s contract wouldn’t even be in the top 10 of QBs a year after it was signed. Ah the good old days

 

[RonWashington]

I’m old enough to remember people saying that Dak’s contract wouldn’t even be in the top 10 of QBs a year after it was signed. Ah the good old days

Is he still highest paid without me having to look it up. I don’t see alot of players approaching his salary even SB winners . Jerry was bidding against Jerry .

 

[CarolinaFathead]

Dak Prescott’s contract is radioactive.

Seeing his name alongside those other athletes only underscores just how absurd that contract really is.

Now, to be fair, NFL quarterbacks operate in a uniquely distorted market, arguably unlike anything else in professional sports.

In most major sports leagues, the highest-paid athletes are generally legitimate superstars whose elite status is acknowledged by an overwhelming majority of fans. Their compensation, while often astronomical, is at least reasonably correlated with their standing among the best players in their respective sports.

That’s simply not how the NFL quarterback market works. The position is so extraordinarily demanding, and the supply of competent quarterbacks so limited, that a player who merely approaches top-15 caliber ability and demonstrates reasonable on-field production can command a contract wildly disproportionate to his actual talent and impact.

In other words, NFL quarterbacks aren’t necessarily paid according to how elite they are. They’re paid according to how difficult they are to replace. And that distinction has produced a market where good-but-not-great quarterbacks routinely command compensation historically associated with the very best athletes in professional sports.

Dak Prescott, the quintessential GOTI (Good One, Though Inconsistent) quarterback, is arguably the poster child for this phenomenon.

Interestingly, there are indications that the relentless inflation of quarterback contracts may finally be slowing, perhaps because franchises are beginning to recognize the enormous opportunity costs associated with paying elite money to quarterbacks who aren’t actually elite. And Dallas may have provided the most expensive example of this when they paid GOTI $60 million. No one has touched that since he signed.

Like I said, Dak’s contract is radioactive.

 

[Kwyn]

Considering my entire outlay is about $40 every couple of years for a new cap, I’d say I definitely get my moneys worth.

 

[nate dizzle]

Is he still highest paid without me having to look it up. I don’t see alot of players approaching his salary even SB winners . Jerry was bidding against Jerry .

100% correct. Nobody was going to pay Dak what Jerry gave him.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Are the Cowboys - and the fans - getting their money's worth?

No. It doesn't matter if I am in the stands or just at home watching.

In fact, I asked my wife if she wanted to sell our tickets for the rest of the year. She asked how much we could get for them. I told her, less than what we paid. Should have seen the look I got.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Personally, watching the Cowboys is for medicinal purposes only.... laughter is the best medicine they say. So I'm good.

 

[cityochamps]

No, none of the fans are, whether you participate monetarily by buying that wide screen TV that takes up your entire living room, or give your valuable time watching this trash team or you actually buy something that puts money back in Jerrys pocket, we expect a winner not a 30 year disappearing act, we at least deserve a competitive team that gives 110 percent on the field and gets in or at least makes a run at the playoffs!

 

[Praxit]

..every year .. ..

 

[OGSixshooter]

No. It doesn't matter if I am in the stands or just at home watching.

In fact, I asked my wife if she wanted to sell our tickets for the rest of the year. She asked how much we could get for them. I told her, less than what we paid. Should have seen the look I got.

My brother is in PA and got me box seats for Cowboys/Eagles game. Told my son to go in my place. The long drive through I-95 rush hour traffic, the long drive there and back, the possible hotel stay...for what?

Turns out we "won" the game, but...I asked my son how he feels about the trip in retrospect. "Meh" was his response...

 

[xwalker]

I saw that Steph Curry makes $60mm/year. Got me thinking, who are the other athletes who are in the $60mm club.

Know something? Every one of them is a champion and MVP in their sport. Except one.

Athlete	Sport	Annual figure	What it measures
Patrick Mahomes	NFL	$63.1M	Average on his reworked Chiefs deal, which moved him ahead of Dak.
Stephen Curry	NBA	$62.6M	2026–27 salary.
Nikola Jokić	NBA	$59.0M	2026–27 salary.
Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis	NBA	$58.5M each	2026–27 salary. Joel Embiid is also close at $58.1M.
Lewis Hamilton	Formula 1	~$60M	Estimated 2026 Ferrari base salary. Max Verstappen is estimated at ~$70M.
Erling Haaland	Soccer	~$60M	Estimated on-field earnings over 12 months, which can include bonuses and club image rights. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé were estimated at ~$70M each on the same basis. si.com

Two other big names come with timing differences. Shohei Ohtani averages $70M on paper, with $2M paid annually during the deal and $680M deferred. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s extension was originally projected at about $71M per year starting in 2027–28, with the exact value tied to the NBA salary cap.

Anthony Davis...he might be injured more often than Overshown...

 

[VaqueroTD]

I saw that Steph Curry makes $60mm/year. Got me thinking, who are the other athletes who are in the $60mm club.

Know something? Every one of them is a champion and MVP in their sport. Except one.

Athlete	Sport	Annual figure	What it measures
Patrick Mahomes	NFL	$63.1M	Average on his reworked Chiefs deal, which moved him ahead of Dak.
Stephen Curry	NBA	$62.6M	2026–27 salary.
Nikola Jokić	NBA	$59.0M	2026–27 salary.
Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis	NBA	$58.5M each	2026–27 salary. Joel Embiid is also close at $58.1M.
Lewis Hamilton	Formula 1	~$60M	Estimated 2026 Ferrari base salary. Max Verstappen is estimated at ~$70M.
Erling Haaland	Soccer	~$60M	Estimated on-field earnings over 12 months, which can include bonuses and club image rights. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé were estimated at ~$70M each on the same basis. si.com

Two other big names come with timing differences. Shohei Ohtani averages $70M on paper, with $2M paid annually during the deal and $680M deferred. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s extension was originally projected at about $71M per year starting in 2027–28, with the exact value tied to the NBA salary cap.

Anthony Davis -- Mister I get injured when the wind blows - at $60 million? Well at least one Dallas team got rid of their bad contract.

 

[Acceptablename]

Jerrys not getting his moneys worth.

Most fans have little to no monetary investment in this team......just a few hours a week to watch the novelty act

Thats how I think

 

[Ranching]

I saw that Steph Curry makes $60mm/year. Got me thinking, who are the other athletes who are in the $60mm club.

Know something? Every one of them is a champion and MVP in their sport. Except one.

Athlete	Sport	Annual figure	What it measures
Patrick Mahomes	NFL	$63.1M	Average on his reworked Chiefs deal, which moved him ahead of Dak.
Stephen Curry	NBA	$62.6M	2026–27 salary.
Nikola Jokić	NBA	$59.0M	2026–27 salary.
Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis	NBA	$58.5M each	2026–27 salary. Joel Embiid is also close at $58.1M.
Lewis Hamilton	Formula 1	~$60M	Estimated 2026 Ferrari base salary. Max Verstappen is estimated at ~$70M.
Erling Haaland	Soccer	~$60M	Estimated on-field earnings over 12 months, which can include bonuses and club image rights. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé were estimated at ~$70M each on the same basis. si.com

Two other big names come with timing differences. Shohei Ohtani averages $70M on paper, with $2M paid annually during the deal and $680M deferred. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s extension was originally projected at about $71M per year starting in 2027–28, with the exact value tied to the NBA salary cap.

Lol!!! 18 years ago, I signed a contract and 2 board members, after voting yes on it, told me I was overpaid.....i told them both to kiss my azz!!! The other 5 stood there and laughed, the superintendent of schools, just walked away. Lol...the good old days