CLEVELAND — Dak Prescott was in his hotel room Sunday morning, about an hour before it was time to board the bus for the short ride to the stadium, when he got the call.
It was done. The uncertainty that hung over his future with the Cowboys was eliminated with a four-year contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
He then took the field and led a convincing 33-17 win in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
“It was a little emotional,” Prescott said of the contract extension that pays him $240 million with a staggering $231 million guaranteed. “If you had asked me that (on Saturday), I would have said I was going into the game with no guarantees.”
This was a neck-and-neck race, as is often the case when negotiating with the Cowboys’ star players. But the contract extension keeps Prescott off the free agent market at the end of the season and ties him to the club through the 2028 season, which matches the time frame of receiver CeeDee Lamb’s most recent contract.
Jerry Jones rarely comments on the details of a player’s contract once an agreement has been reached, but the Cowboys owner made an exception in this case.
“The number is right,” Jones told a small group of reporters who had surrounded him outside the Cowboys’ locker room before kickoff. “That’s a big commitment for the next five years.”
“To our future, if you will.”
For Jones, there was never any question as to whether he wanted to keep Prescott or not. He did.
The question was how much money he would spend on a quarterback who couldn’t lead the Cowboys past the divisional round of the playoffs. Would Prescott be placed at the top of the league’s pay scale and hinder the club’s ability to build a representative team around him?
That was a more complicated discussion.
After Jones had clarified these questions, the question for him was no longer whether he would sign Prescott, but when.
The Cowboys presented an offer to quarterback Todd France’s representative on Thursday, two people familiar with the negotiations said, which served as the template for the agreement.
“I never, ever doubted we would get a deal done,” Jones said. “I pray we have the opportunity to put the supporting cast around him.”
“And I think we can do that. I think we can do that in the future. We’ll be able to get players around him that will give us a chance to compete for the Super Bowl.
“He was our best chance to get one.”
During the Cowboys’ Super Bowl run in the 1990s, Jones was after cornerback Deion Sanders to win that third title. Luring a talent like Sanders to Dallas came at a high cost. It would require a $12 million signing bonus.
The numbers were so high at the time that Jones went back to his humble roots, walked around the neighborhood where he grew up and wondered if he could justify that kind of commitment. After a period of reflection, he decided, in his own words, “to hell with it” and signed Sanders.
The guarantee that Prescott received is almost 20 times higher than what Sanders received.
And this is not an isolated case. Two weeks earlier, the Cowboys had agreed to a four-year, $136 million contract extension with receiver CeeDee Lamb, which included $100 million in guarantees.
“I know these numbers are beyond anything I could have ever imagined,” Jones said.
Naturally, Prescott was asked how he will handle the pressure that comes with his status as the league’s highest-paid player. His stats on that beautiful afternoon by the lake at Huntington Bank Field: He completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
“That was because I was on top,” Prescott said of the contract. “The next guy will expect to beat me. That’s how it works in the league
“I put the most pressure on myself, it’s as simple as that. I’m not satisfied with my personal performance today. That’s what motivates and drives me.”
“Nobody is a bigger critic than I am personally.”
Prescott will make an average of $60 million per season starting next year, and his guarantee is $1 million more than that of Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson, the quarterback on the other side of the field from Prescott in this opener.
Prescott is currently in the final season of a four-year, $160 million contract that paid him an average of $40 million.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence topped the list with average annual earnings of $55 million. Miami’s Tua Tagovalioa followed with $53.1 million.
Negotiations between the Cowboys and Prescott were lengthy but not acrimonious. Prescott made it clear that he wanted to remain the Cowboys’ quarterback. Jones said that was his intention.
The negotiating lines remained open, even if the two sides rarely spoke for long. No public demands were made or time limits given. But since the start of the training camp, the verbal back and forth increased.
But both sides have chosen their words carefully in public in recent days or, in Jones’ case, refused to discuss Prescott’s status 48 hours before kickoff.
The Cowboys held a walk-through at The Star on Saturday before leaving. Jones walked up to Prescott at the end of practice, shook his hand and gave him a quick message.
“Let’s put this thing behind us,” Jones said.
They did. Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who paid for practically every dinner and bill for Prescott when the two entered the league as rookies with the Cowboys eight years ago, was in the room when his friend got the call.
The two hugged each other.
“It was special for him to be there in that moment, that hug,” Prescott said.
When he arrived at the stadium, everyone was talking about his contract. Running back Malik Davis told everyone to give Prescott their wrist size in anticipation of the expensive watches he would hand out to celebrate. Receiver KaVontae Turpin asked for a salary of $1,500 a week.
There is still a lot of work to be done, not only this season but financially as well. Micah Parsons, who was outstanding in the opening game, will want a contract extension before next season. Head coach Mike McCarthy and his team are in the final years of their contracts.
But that can wait. This was a day to celebrate.
Inaction by the organization or a smart strategy by Prescott and his representatives? Take your pick. When the conversation turns to the Cowboys quarterback, it has become something of a de rigueur exercise to publicly take sides.
Choosing a side is no longer necessary.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are moving into the future together.
“The bottom line is that it’s well-deserved,” Jones said. “What really matters is the next five years. I’m looking forward to that, with Dak as our quarterback.”
“I hope Dak is the quarterback for the rest of my time.”
And Prescott?
“I just want to perform for him,” the quarterback said. “It’s not about the money. It’s about keeping my end of the bargain, and that’s winning.”
“I want to do it here.”
Catch David Moore with The Musers every Monday, Wednesday at 9:35 a.m. during the regular season, on The Hardline every Tuesday-Friday at 4:35 p.m., and on The Invasion every Wednesday at 11:10 a.m. on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM).
Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN
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