FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have agreed to a four-year $ 160 million deal, including $ 126 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Prescott’s signing bonus is $ 66 million, the highest in NFL history, a source told ESPN. The first three years of the deal averaged $ 42 million a year, a source told Schefter.
The Cowboys announced they had signed a contract with Prescott, but did not disclose any terms. The Cowboys will post the franchise tag on Prescott Tuesday as a procedural matter, a source told Schefter. The Cowboys have announced that they will hold a press conference on Wednesday.
The process of reaching a long-term deal with Prescott involved three off-seasons, several mega-million offers and hours of negotiations. The Cowboys had been saying all along that they wanted Prescott to be their franchise quarterback for the present and the future, and Prescott said he wanted to stay with the Cowboys.
It just took a lot longer than usual.
Prescott, who turns 28 in July, comes from a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle he sustained in the week 5 victory against the New York Giants in October, but was predicted to make a full recovery during the off-season.
The road to the deal was complicated by the renewals signed by fellow conscripts Jared Goff and Carson Wentz in 2019, the last year of a collective bargaining agreement, and the reluctance of both parties to bend over to what they wanted in terms of the length of the agreement. The Cowboys wanted a commitment of five years or more; The Prescott side wanted a four-year deal.
With the deal closed, the focus is on improving the Prescott roster to ensure the Cowboys can compete for a Super Bowl.
The Cowboys have missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. Prescott’s absence in 2020, however, showed just how important he is to their success. Before being injured, he threw for 1,856 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions in five games. The Cowboys’ attack went on without Prescott for a few weeks, scoring one touchdown in three games after scoring at least 31 points in four of their first five games.
In five seasons, Prescott has a team record of seven passing 400-yard games and 24 hasty touchdowns, most of it by a Cowboys quarterback. He is second behind Tony Romo in passing games of 300 meters with 15. He has also proven himself with 15 game-winning drives.
Prescott, the Cowboys’ fourth round in 2016, set a record of 42-27 with 17,364 passing yards to go, with 106 touchdown passes and 40 interceptions.
With the contract secured, Prescott’s hopes will be even greater to deliver a Super Bowl to an organization that hasn’t made it to the title game in 25 years.