DALLAS — After months of frustration and trying to work out a new contract for Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys finally found a way to extend their All-Pro quarterback just hours before their Week 1 win in Cleveland. Never one to pass up an opportunity to make headlines, owner Jerry Jones and the organization announced the deal on the first full game day for the NFL on Sunday.
The contract is an eye-opening one, as expected of one of the league’s top signal callers who had reached the final year of his current deal. After the ink dries, Prescott will earn $240 million over four years with a whopping $231 million guaranteed and the extension includes an $80 million signing bonus. With the deal, Prescott becomes the first $60 million player in league history.
Why the wait?
Holding off on getting the deal done until September might’ve cost the Cowboys more money than they wanted to spend, but that’s what happens when you wait on signing a franchise quarterback in today’s NFL. The cost never goes down, it always goes up, and it’s a lesson that the organization simply refuses to learn.
That’s in the past now, though, as the Cowboys avoided the ultimate devastation of losing their quarterback to free agency after this season and Prescott gets his lucrative extension.
Prescott’s contract places him as the top-paid QB in the league on a per-year basis and his guarantees are the highest in NFL history. This is how it works with QBs in the NFL, when it’s your turn, you get paid, Prescott is the latest example, just as it was four years ago when Dallas went through this the first time with Prescott.
Dak earned it
Despite the team dragging its feet until they paid a premium, the franchise QB’s new deal is well deserved, he’s had two of his best years under head coach Mike McCarthy’s current regime, which has included a franchise single-season record for passing touchdowns in 2021 with 37 and leading the league in scoring throws last year with 36 when he finished second in the league MVP voting. At 31 years old, Prescott continues to get better and is one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
Prescott, a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winner, is also a leader in the locker room and off the field. His "Faith. Fight. Finish. Foundation" guides those who need life-challenging assistance and helps with mental health and suicide prevention.
On the field, Prescott also leads by hosting retreats to prepare mentally and physically for the upcoming season and built a field in his backyard to get in workouts with teammates. Players rave about working with and being around Prescott.
Time to prove it
Unfortunately, the veteran is also a lightning rod for the franchise and their shortcomings. As good as he’s been since arriving in the league as a fourth-round pick, Prescott has also failed to get the Cowboys past the Divisional round of the playoffs. When the Cowboys fall short, Prescott gets the brunt of the blame.
While there’s always some debate about Prescott’s standing among the top QBs in the league, there’s no denying that he’s coming off one of his best seasons. He placed at the top of, or near the top of, every major category at the position last season.
The Cowboys had no choice but to pay their franchise QB, the only question is: why did it take so long? Prescott held all the cards in this negotiation, and if the team wanted to keep him, they had to pony up the money. The team couldn’t tag Prescott, and if he hit free agency next offseason, they likely couldn’t have kept him at the price he’d command in the open market.
Jerry and Stephen Jones backed themselves into a corner with Prescott and took forever to dig themselves out as the price only continued to rise with other QBs around the league signing record deals.
It worked out in the end, however; the Cowboys kept their QB and Prescott got his money. It’s tough finding a franchise quarterback and Dallas has been blessed to find their last two (Tony Romo and Prescott) without having to suffer through years of trial and error. The Cowboys didn’t want to go down that road, choosing instead to keep Prescott and his talents for more years.
There was no need for the drama to play out all offseason, but that’s how it works with Jones and his franchise. Never a dull moment and the contract puts even more pressure on Prescott to deliver a deep playoff run.
Nothing has changed for the Cowboys, except for Prescott’s bank account and the history books.
Who do you think is the biggest winner of Dak Prescott’s new deal? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
