Cowboys Sign Dak Prescott: It has been a very dramatic offseason in Dallas some of the biggest questions since the last offseason have finally been answered.
No, Dak Prescott will not be entering free agency, no the Dallas Cowboys will not be franchising Dak Prescott and finally, Yes Dak Prescott is the Cowboys quarterback of the future.
Leading up to the Franchise tag deadline at the closing of business hours on March 9 many around the league expected Dallas to end up franchising Prescott after not being able to get a long-term extension done.
Prescott is an unquestioned leader on the Dallas Cowboys and with an offseason for the entire team to get healthy Dallas should have one of the top offenses in 2021.
Massive Payday for Prescott
The official terms and conditions released on Dak Prescott’s new contract extension is a four-year $160 million contract locking him up in Dallas for the foreseeable future. Prescott’s new contract broke an NFL record with a $66 million signing bonus and Prescott will earn $75 million in year one.
Bleacher Report broke down Prescott’s unbelievable contract that included $40 million per season, $2.5 million per game, $41,667 per minute he plays on the field, and $694 per second. By agreeing to a long-term deal Prescott will count against the salary cap in 2021 for $22.2 million a drastic difference from if he signed another franchise tag.
This extra money should allow Dallas to upgrade weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball.
Prescott now ranks behind Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the second-highest-paid player in the NFL. Mahomes average salary for his contract is $45 million per year.
By agreeing to a four-year contract Prescott will have another opportunity to reach free agency once this contract expires and has another opportunity to cash out.
Prescott will be 31 years old when the contract expires and Dallas will be unable to franchise tag Prescott once again so he will be a free agent in what many consider will be the prime of his career.
Prescott’s Serious Injury in 2020
In week five against the New York Giants Prescott was scrambling when taken down by cornerback Logan Ryan. On the play, Prescott’s ankle got caught under the dobby of Ryan and he suffered a gruesome ankle fracture ending his 2020 season.
Prescott opened the season on fire and was considered a candidate for league MVP. Many people believed that the Dallas Cowboys undervalued Prescott and once he was out for the season his impact was shown. The Cowboy’s offense struggled immensely during the absence of Prescott.
I do not feel at all that it took an injury for the Cowboys organization to realize the value of Prescott. People in the Cowboys front office and locker room fully understand Prescott’s talent and leadership and last year’s negotiation was simply Prescott wanting a four-year deal and the Cowboys wanting a five-year deal.
Pressure on the Cowboys?
It appeared that from the start of negotiations Prescott always had leverage and the longer Prescott went on without a long-term extension the higher the price would be. With quarterbacks like Raven’s Lamar Jackson and Bill’s Josh Allen soon to be free agents in the next couple of years, quarterback salaries will continue to rise.
Many believe that in the long run, this contract will seem like a discount four even years from now. Each year the salary cap is expected to increase due to television deals and increased revenue and with that player, contracts will continue to soar.
By making Prescott one of the highest-paid players in the NFL and NFL history it appears that now the pressure has to flip over to Prescott as Super Bowl expectations are at an all-time high in Dallas.
