Just hours before kicking off in Week 1, the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have come to terms on a massive contract extension.
The deal, which comes in at a staggering 4-years, $240M, makes Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history. Prescott will earn $60M per season, topping the previous record held by Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, and Joe Burrow at $55M.
A new leader: Highest paid QBs in the NFL on a per-year basis:
🏈Dak Prescott: $60M
🏈Joe Burrow: $55M
🏈Jordan Love: $55M
🏈Trevor Lawrence: $55M
🏈Tua Tagovailoa: $53.1M
🏈Jared Goff: $53M
🏈Justin Herbert: $52.5M
🏈Lamar Jackson: $52M
🏈Jalen Hurts: $51M— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2024
Jerry Jones has always said deadlines make deals, and that certainly came to fruition here.
The superstar quarterback had previously said that no deal by the season opener could change things between the two sides, and they took it down to the wire to make sure that did not happen.
This will spark a ton of debate among the fanbase, but the facts are simple: Dak Prescott is an elite quarterback that Dallas needs inside the building.
With this deal agreed to, Prescott will remain in a Cowboys uniform until at least 2028.
Let’s dive into the numbers of the contract a bit more.
Full Pockets for Dak Prescott
Like I said, this deal needed to happen, but man did it cost the Dallas Cowboys’ pockets. The contract includes a staggering $231M in guaranteed money.
In total, Prescott is now under contract with Dallas for five years, including this one.
The deal will also lower his cap hit for this season, which is a major reason why many argue this should have been done early in the offseason. The Cowboys would have had more buying power in free agency if they had done so.
Without a contract extension, Dak Prescott would have counted $40 million against the salary cap. With a deal, his 2025 cap number will include a $26.1 million in bonus proration, plus the new proration of signing bonus and base salary. Most importantly, however, they have the QB
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 8, 2024
Dak Prescott was already a very rich man, but this deal makes him the richest in the history of the league, and a franchise staple for at least another half-decade.
The Cowboys front office should be thanking their lucky stars that he was willing to sign this massive contract.
Keeping The Elite QB In House
You can not let a quarterback at Prescott’s level walk out the door. That is the very simple fact of this situation. When you have an elite quarterback inside your building, you don’t let him leave.
https://twitter.com/NFLonPrime/status/1832804761038434510
Has Dak Prescott been fantastic in the postseason? No. Is that good enough reason to start from scratch at the position? Absolutely not.
Cowboys fans have to consider what things would have looked like if they did not keep him long-term. There is no world where they let Prescott walk in free agency this winter and see an improvement at the position next season.
That fact alone is reason to extend him. You can’t expect to stay afloat as an organization with no concrete solution at quarterback.
Dak Prescott is an All-Pro and MVP runner-up, and he is now on track to be a Cowboy for life.
