It’s hard to believe but just 15 months ago, Dak Prescott finished second in the MVP voting behind only Lamar Jackson after the 2023 season. He finished the year with 36 passing touchdowns with only nine interceptions, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 12-5 record and the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

But after a rough start to the 2024 season and a hamstring injury that cost him the final nine games of the year, Prescott has seen his stock drop in a big way. He was once viewed by the national media as an easy top-10 quarterback and he was closer to No. 5 than No. 10. The Wild Card loss to the Packers didn’t help at all and now it’s fair to wonder where he ranks among the rest of the quarterbacks in the NFL.

In a recent article by John Kosko of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the starting quarterbacks in the NFL heading into the 2025 season. Prescott had a shocking ranking of 17th, behind quarterbacks like Geno Smith, Kyler Murray, and Trevor Lawrence.

Cowboys’ Dak Prescott disrespected in PFF’s 2025 quarterback rankings

Here is what the site had to say about the league’s highest-paid quarterback entering the year:

“Prescott remains the epitome of a quarterback who thrives against weaker opponents but falters when the competition stiffens. He earned a 90.0 PFF grade in 2023 — behind only Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes — before a late-season collapse ended his MVP bid. In 2024, the Cowboys stumbled early, and a season-ending injury sidelined Prescott before he could rebound. To rejoin the top-10 conversation, he must recapture that 2023 form and prove he can deliver against the league’s best.”

John Kosko, Pro Football Focus

Ouch.

While it’s true that Prescott needs to have more playoff success, he has more playoff wins (2) than Smith, Murray, Lawrence, and Justin Herbert combined (1). And yet, all four are ranked ahead of Prescott going into the 2025 season.

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All four quarterbacks have been in the league for some time, so lack of experience isn’t an excuse. Again, Prescott needs to be better in the postseason, but so do those four quarterbacks who are all ranked much higher.

When Prescott is healthy, the Cowboys are always a competitive team. He has a career record of 76-46 in 122 starts and that is among the highest winning percentage among all active quarterbacks. And while it’s true that wins aren’t just a quarterback stat, Dallas always has a top-tier offense with Prescott on the field and that’s a big reason why they’ve won so many games with him under center.

Prescott is entering Year 10 of his NFL career and this is a big one for his standing in the league. If he can get back to the player that we saw from 2021-2023, there is no doubt that the Cowboys can be a playoff team again in 2025. But if he struggles or fails to stay on the field, it could be another long year for Dallas, and it’ll be fair to wonder if they made a mistake by paying him.

Needless to say, it’s a huge year for Dak Prescott, but his ranking at No. 17 is laughable. There are not 16 quarterbacks better than No. 4.