FRISCO, Texas – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is recovering from an open fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that he suffered last October, but is already thinking about next February and the Super Bowl LVI.
“That’s my plan, to get a parade in Dallas,” said Prescott on the day he officially signed the richest deal in the history of Cowboys: four years, $ 160 million and a record $ 66 million NFL bonus. “As a competitor, you see people celebrating, you see people doing what you want to do and there is not much more that lights the fire under you than someone having what you want. And every year we are not in the heats or we didn’t do that race, this is just more fire for him.
“You play there where I was holding my leg and I didn’t have a chance to be there while the guys were doing what was taken from me, I’m looking forward to getting out there and showing what this team can do. The next big press conference we have is, hopefully, another year after that big parade. So, there you have it. “
Prescott’s contract is a story since the 2019 off-season, when he was playing in the final year of his $ 2 million rookie contract. The 2020 season dragged on while he played in the $ 31.4 million franchise and finally culminated on Monday when Prescott’s team and agent Todd France reached an agreement.
It took, but for owner and general manager Jerry Jones it was worth it.
“From the beginning, we certainly said that our future is with Dak,” said Jones. “We are fully aware that the process we have carried out in recent years has, if you like, created a conversation and perhaps even a life of its own. … Do not confuse this with how right we think this decision is and how much it has been there since the beginning. That fits. “
Prescott said he never imagined leaving for another team.
“I’m excited to be here, never to leave, and excited by what this organization, what this team, what its fans are going to receive,” said Prescott. “I’m just excited to go and know that this is my home, I’m not leaving. I’m a Cowboy and this is just the beginning.”
To fulfill his dreams at the Super Bowl, Prescott still has a lot of work to do in his recovery. He was at The Star in Frisco, Texas, constantly working on his rehab and said he is making good progress. Prescott said a second surgery in December had more to do with his ability to play for a long time than with the injury he sustained in his week 5 victory against the New York Giants.
“I’m healthy,” said Prescott. “I will control what I can control. I will follow the doctor’s orders all the time. Put my own work ethic on that. I am healthy, I am getting close. I will be ready when I need to.”
At the time of the injury, there was a recovery period of 4 to 6 months. The Cowboys begin their official off-season program in April and Prescott plans to participate in everything. He said he will continue his off-season work with John Beck, his quarterback coach at 3DQB.
Prescott, however, acknowledged that he needs to be “smarter” when making decisions on the pitch, especially when he runs, such as when he was injured against the Giants.
“Before the injury, going back to high school, I was told to be smarter when I want to demonstrate my physicality or when I want to try to score a point in the game or change momentum. This is no different. I have to be smarter,” he said. he. “With this investment, with my health being impaired at a certain point, it makes a lot more sense for me to be smarter and why people say that. At that time, as a young bull, I think it was very difficult. Now, I mean, in a move like that, first down, you’re falling. You’re sliding.
“But to say that the game is at stake, is it a first down or is it the red zone and I’m going there, that’s who I am. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to reduce that.”
A big part of the negotiation between the Cowboys and France was the ability to have the space needed to add players around Prescott. With two years voidable on the contract, Prescott will count only $ 22.2 million against the salary cap this season and will have the ability to restructure his contract in 2022, which could generate up to $ 15 million in space.
On Wednesday, the Cowboys restructured the contracts for strikers Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and La’el Collins, creating about $ 17 million in cap space, according to a source. This puts them below the limit, entering next week’s free agency period with the ability to make some strategic hires, especially for a defense that allowed a franchise record of 473 points in 2020.
Cowboys can also try to redo deals for wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and Ezekiel Elliott’s running back to gain more space, if they want.
“We have the resources to do what we have to do,” said executive vice president Stephen Jones.
But the Cowboys believe that Prescott, who has 42-27 as a starter and a playoff victory, will be his centerpiece.
“It’s not as simple as Dak wins, Jerry wins, Cowboys wins,” said Jerry Jones. “Let me tell you something: the Cowboys won today. They won today. And I am excited about that future. And that is what we are all interested in – the future.”
At one point at Wednesday’s press conference, the Joneses were asked if they felt they had the best team in the NFC East after rehiring Prescott.
The quarterback interrupted with a quick yes.
“I think this partnership says that, right? This guarantees their faith in me and as I said, as a guy who lives by faith, just knowing that you have a family, has an organization that wants you to be the front line, will do it, that’s all “, said Prescott. “Because I want to give them everything they want, everything they invested in. If I manifest this, if I put everything on, it will happen in the back. I am very happy to be in front of this, and we will all be celebrating when it is worth it. “