FRISCO, TX — It was made chandelier-clear beforehand by Dak Prescott that he needed to play the whole thing of his NFL profession with the Dallas Cowboys, and he is now taken one more lengthy stride towards serving to be certain that promise is not an empty one simply hours forward of the 2024 common season kickoff in opposition to the Cleveland Browns.
Prescott has agreed to phrases on a brand new four-year contract extension value upwards of $240 million, per a number of studies that embrace NFL.com, with a historic $231 million in assured cash.
That can maintain him locked in because the crew’s franchise quarterback properly past the 2024 season — information that follows the arrival of megadeals awarded to Jordan Love by the Inexperienced Bay Packers and Tua Tagovailoa by the Miami Dolphins this summer season.
Earlier this 12 months, he made it clear that whereas the cash is a mandatory a part of the enterprise facet of the sport, that is not what wakes him up within the morning, neither is it what drives him to excel, as a human being, a father or a participant.
“I’ve by no means performed the sport for that,” he stated on Thursday. “I’ve performed a recreation for the pure love for the blokes in that locker room. Sure, this recreation has at all times introduced me one thing that not plenty of issues in life do. That kind of peace, it does. Simply being on the market in between the traces with folks that you simply share a brotherhood with. Yeah, one thing that is simply particular about this recreation of soccer and we’re simply blessed that that cash comes with it, and I am within the place that I am in that we could be having these conversations.
“However that does not encourage me.”
Talking from the primary absolutely padded contact apply Week 1, the three-time Professional Bowler re-emphasized his need of retiring in Dallas and, extra particularly, why the considered successful a Tremendous Bowl with the Cowboys— above every other crew — drives him.
“That is what motivates me on being right here, simply to be the quarterback that does it, that wins it,” he stated. “I do not suppose that successful it every other place can be the identical as successful it right here.”
He’ll now get a number of extra probabilities at attaining that purpose.
The 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Yr, solely the fourth to ever win the award in Dallas alongside Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Jason Witten, Prescott was set to enter one more contract 12 months starting this September, one thing he’s no stranger to when contemplating he is been the recipient of the Cowboys’ franchise tag on two earlier events — these amounting to mainly contract years — his newest variation, non-tag associated, set to hit the present wage cap for greater than $59 million in 2024.
In 2020, Prescott turned the primary quarterback in Cowboys’ historical past to ever obtain a tag.
His second, in 2021, tag lasted all of someday, actually, earlier than he was signed to a four-year contract extension value a most worth of $160 million with $126 million assured in March 2021.
Even with the explosive information of the $255.4 million wage cap set for 2024 (greater than $30 million increased than final season and practically $13 million greater than anticipated), and the help that it supplied the Cowboys, they nonetheless remained over the cap on the time and, as such, wanted the extra reduction supplied by extending Prescott.
“I really feel like 24 hours can actually change your life,” stated All-Professional wideout CeeDee Lamb, scorching off of a brand new contract extension himself that landed in late August. “Clearly, it is carried out that for me and all through the method that I went by means of, and that is Dak’s second time on the desk, so I do know he is very conversant in this and the way Jerry’s working. I’ve little question that they will get the job carried out however, once more, he cannot win a recreation by himself.”
The 2 sides agreed to a reworked deal this previous spring to permit for some reduction in that second, however this extension probably cements tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} of extra financial savings towards the cap for extra wiggle room.
With this transfer, the Cowboys not solely assure they will keep away from quarterback purgatory — e.g., Clint Stoerner, Stephen McGee, Quincy Carter, and so forth. — however it must also unencumber tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in wage cap house for 2024 that may be absolutely rolled into the 2025 calendar season, or slightly no matter portion of it stays unspent to that time.
Coming into his ninth 12 months within the league, Prescott, the previous fourth-round compensatory decide in 2016, has ascended to being the most effective within the enterprise — his 2023 season incomes him not solely a 3rd Professional Bowl nod and his first honor as an All-Professional, but in addition second-place in NFL MVP voting behind solely Lamar Jackson.
Prescott completed the 2023 season with the third-highest passing yards tally of his record-setting profession (4,516) and his second-highest variety of touchdowns (36), all whereas throwing his lowest variety of interceptions (9) in a full season since 2018 — finishing a 180-degree flip in that class after throwing a career-worst 15 interceptions one 12 months in the past.