USA TODAY International Edition
Cowboys, Prescott agree to reported $ 160M deal
Dak Prescott had said he wanted to be a Cowboy for life. The Cowboys had insisted there was no moving forward without Prescott. And yet negotiations lasted for more than two years.
Until Monday.
Prescott and the Cowboys agreed to a four- year deal worth $ 160 million with $ 126 million guaranteed, two people with knowledge of the contract confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Monday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms had not been publicly announced. Prescott could earn up to $ 164 million in four years, and the deal includes notrade and no- tag clauses. Thus Prescott could return to the negotiating table as soon as three years from now. At that point, he'll be just 30.
The deal is worth a max of $ 164 million, two people with knowledge said. With an NFL- record $ 66 million signing bonus, Prescott is set to earn $ 75 million in 2021 – one year after he played out a $ 31.4 million franchise tag. Over his first three years, he'll earn an average of $ 42 million a year. Strictly speaking, the deal will span six years but void to four to maneuver accounting of Prescott's hefty signing bonus.
Only Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who signed a 10- year extension worth $ 450 million last July, will play on a contract with a higher annual salary or guarantee than Prescott. Prescott's deal is set to expire seven years before Mahomes'.
The NFL salary cap is expected to balloon amid upcoming TV contract renewals and the advent of legalized sports gambling.
The Cowboys announced generally Monday evening that the deal had been reached, with a more detailed news announcement scheduled for Wednesday. Prescott is expected to address reporters then.
The Cowboys drafted Prescott 135th overall in 2016. He rose from fourth- string quarterback to immediate starter in a matter of months, supplanting Tony Romo as the face of the franchise.
Prescott started 72 consecutive games, including three playoff games, from 2016 through the fifth of week of the 2020 season. He compiled a 42- 27 regularseason record, throwing for 17,634 yards and 106 touchdowns to 40 interceptions. He racked up 24 rushing TDs as well as his receiving touchdown one quarter before his 2020 season ended abruptly.
Prescott was off to his best statistical season in 2020, averaging 371.2 passing yards per game, when a designed run went awry and he suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle. He was carted off the field of AT& T Stadium in tears, an ambulance waiting to transport him to a local hospital for immediate surgery that night to clean the wound and repair the fracture. Prescott hasn't played since, though he is again walking.
The Cowboys maintained throughout that he was ahead of schedule to recover and that they were confident in his potential. Prescott's evolution had been “nothing short of a perfect picture,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in January. Added executive vice president Stephen Jones: “This is Dak Prescott's football team.”
Stephen Jones said the front office was “very committed” to finalizing Prescott's extension.
Monday, they put their money where their mouths had long been.