Troy Aikman's advice for Cowboys on Dak Prescott: 'Pay the man'

As Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to lay waste to NFL defenses this season, most recently throwing for 444 yards against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, one thing is becoming increasingly clear. Keeping this guy in Dallas isn’t going to be cheap.

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One prominent Cowboys great thinks the team should pick up the bill.

Troy Aikman says Dak Prescott should get paid

Quoting a tweet which laid out just how good a season Prescott is having compared to past Cowboys quarterbacks, current Fox commentator and noted great tweeter Troy Aikman’s analysis was humbly simple: pay the man.

Prescott’s contract situation has lingered over the Cowboys’ season all year. The fourth-year passer’s contract is up this offseason and it’s going to take quite a bit of money to get him to sign a long-term extension.

Dallas has already dealt with another contentious contract negotiation with Ezekiel Elliott this year, but Prescott’s price figures to be considerably higher than Elliott's record $90 million deal.

The Cowboys refused to pay Dak Prescott like a top-5 quarterback heading into the season, reportedly offering him only a $30 million-per-year contract that would have made him the sixth-highest paid quarterback in the league, per Spotrac. Prescott responded by rejecting the offer and playing like a top-5 quarterback.

Prescott currently leads the NFL in passing yards with 3,221 and is second in yards per pass attempt with 8.8 and passing touchdowns with 21. Much has been made about the talent around Prescott and the Cowboys’ recent offensive transformation, but those are the kind of results that aren’t possible without a top quarterback at the wheel.

Aikman has some experience with this kind of situation, having signed a then-record $50 million contract with the Cowboys in the past.

Troy Aikman wants another QB paid too

While he was at it, Aikman offered some more thoughts another quarterback outdoing his stats: Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.

Jackson likely won’t be eligible for free agency until 2023, but — given what he just did to the Houston Texans — it’s never too early to think about the fortune he could end up commanding.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Wetzel: Dak has Cowboys dreaming of Super Bowl

• Kaepernick can’t be worse than Winston, Allen, right?

• Did Bears bench Trubisky based on injury or performance?

• Paylor: Jackson’s incredible season can end with a title