2024-09-10 00:20:02
Just hours before the Cowboys faced the Browns on Sunday to kick off their season, owner and Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones revealed Dallas had agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Dak Prescott, making him the highest paid player in NFL history.
A deadline deal: Hours before Dallas kicked off its season, it reached agreement with QB Dak Prescott on a four-year contract, $240 million extension that will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history and keep him in a Cowboys uniform for seasons to come, per sources. pic.twitter.com/ZsQmwcuoNA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2024
Contract Breakdown
Prescott’s deal prevents him from becoming a free agent after this season and keeps him on the Cowboys through 2028. The deals includes $131 million guaranteed, the highest in NFL history and just $1 million higher than Deshaun Watson’s $130 million guaranteed contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Prescott’s $60 million a year average is also the highest in NFL history, surpassing the $55 million annual contracts signed by Joe Burrow, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence. His $80 million signing bonus surpasses Jordan Love’s $75 million.
His historical contract comes less than two weeks after the Cowboys made wide receiver CeeDee Lamb the second highest paid receiver in the league:
Dak Is Home In Dallas
Although Prescott’s deal broke all major records, he said after the Cowboys’ 33-17 win against Cleveland, “I don’t play for the money.”
Dak Prescott said on Thursday that he wants to be “the QB who wins it” in Dallas.
With the certainty of staying in Dallas thru 2028, he’s put it on himself to cash in — figuratively of course.
“That’s my only motivation to hold up my part of this deal.”https://t.co/D0ARHR68iV pic.twitter.com/9t8yazqosc
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisDC) September 9, 2024
Prescott, a fourth-round pick in 2016, has played for the Cowboys his whole career. He has said multiple times throughout the year he would like to stay in Dallas his whole career. When asked Thursday his thoughts on potentially winning a Super Bowl for the Cowboys, Prescott said that’s what drives him.
“That’s what motivates me on being here, just to be the quarterback that does it, that wins it,” he said. “I don’t think that winning it any other place would be the same as winning it here.”
Jones said his own desire for Prescott is to stay in Dallas for years to come.
“There’s a lot of me that thinks [that] I hope Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time,” Jones said. “And that’s not just limited to the terms of this contract, either. I have a lot of confidence in him. He brings so much to the table. He’s a player that the team follows — that’s big.”
What’s Next For The Cowboys
Dallas looks to take the next step with Prescott now locked up for the foreseeable future. The Cowboys have had five playoff appearances since drafting him in 2016, never getting farther than the NFC Divisional Round. The Cowboys and Jones are confident Prescott will break through that barrier. Prescott is coming off a great season where he was runner-up for MVP, throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns.
