FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have agreed to a four-year, $ 160 million contract, including a guaranteed $ 126 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Prescott’s signing bonus is $ 66 million, the largest in NFL history, a source told ESPN. The first three years of the deal are an average of $ 42 million a year, a source told Schefter.
The Cowboys announced that they had agreed to a contract with Prescott, but did not disclose the terms. The Cowboys will place the franchise brand in Prescott on Tuesday as a procedural issue, a source told Schefter. The Cowboys announced that they will hold a press conference on Wednesday.
The process of reaching a long-term agreement with Prescott covered three off-season periods, several mega-million offers and hours of negotiations. The Cowboys, all the time, said they wanted Prescott to be the defender of the franchise for the present and the future, and Prescott said he wanted to stay with the Cowboys.
It just took a lot longer than normal.
Prescott, who turns 28 in July, is coming out of an exposed fracture and dislocation of his right ankle suffered in Week 5’s victory against the New York Giants last October, but he was expected to fully recover during the 2021 off-season program .
The road to business was complicated by the extensions signed by the conscripts recruited in 2016, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz in 2019, the last year of a collective bargaining agreement and the reluctance of both sides to double what they wanted in terms of the duration of the work. agreement – the Cowboys wanted a commitment of five years or more; Prescott’s side wanted a four-year contract.
But now that the deal is complete, the focus is on improving the lineup around Prescott to ensure that the Cowboys can compete in the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys have lost the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. Prescott’s absence in 2020, however, showed how fundamental he is to their success. Before hurting himself, he shot 1,856 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions in five games. The Cowboys attack fought for a few weeks without Prescott, scoring a touchdown in three games after scoring at least 31 points in four of the first five games.
In five seasons, Prescott has a team record of seven 400-yard passing games and 24 run touchdowns, mostly by a Cowboys quarterback. He is second behind Tony Romo in 300 yard pass games with 15. He also proved to be a clutch with 15 game win drives.
Prescott, the Cowboys’ fourth round pick in 2016, posted a record 42-27 with 17,364 passing yards to go along with 106 touchdown passes and 40 interceptions.
With the contract signed, the expectations will be even higher for Prescott to deliver a Super Bowl to an organization that hasn’t made it to the title game in 25 years.