FRISCO, Texas – Gone are the days of Dak Prescott, Fourth round success story.
Now that the quarterback has a multi-year contract with the Dallas Cowboyshe is defined through the $ 160 million contractA source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that $ 126 million is guaranteed. Prescott’s signing bonus is $ 66 million, the highest in NFL history, a source told ESPN. With this mega deal, he becomes the second highest paid QB in the NFL.
It’s all about a Super Bowl now.
There are numerous reasons the Cowboys wanted to sign the 27-year-old Prescott on a long-term contract over the past two off-seasons. His on-field play (106 touchdown passes, 24 quick touchdowns, and a 42-27 record) and off-field importance (did you see things fall apart after his 2020 injury?) Are the main reasons.
Another is fear.
Yes, fear. There are only so many top notch quarterbacks in the NFL. After Troy Aikman retired, cowboys formed Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf, Clint Stoerner, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson, and Drew Bledsoe before they formed Tony Romo, an uncovered free agent from 2003, who did not throw a passport, luck had a game until 2006.
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While Romo would become the franchise leader in touchdown passes (248), he went into playoffs 2-4 and the team was struggling when he was injured. Romo’s backups, including Brad Johnson, Jon Kitna, Stephen McGee, Kyle Orton, Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore, had a combined 6-19 record from 2008 to 2015.
In 2020, the Cowboys went 4-5, scoring a touchdown in their first three games without Prescott, who sustained a badly broken right ankle in a week 5 game against the New York Giants.
The Cowboys selected Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 design. He wasn’t even her first choice in the fourth round to equalize, # 135 overall. And he wasn’t even her first choice. Cowboy owner and general manager Jerry Jones was dejected, unable to return to the first round to get Paxton Lynch. They wanted Connor Cook in the fourth round.
You chose Prescott and got lucky. Really happy.
Prescott may have been the eighth quarterback selected in 2016, but he’s likely the last QB from that class to be with his original team. Jared Goff, number 1 overall, is won by the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions As part of the Matthew Stafford Trade. The Philadelphia Eagles have made a deal to trade number 2 of the overall selection, Carson Wentz, to the Indianapolis Colts.
Prescott has started every game he has played for the Cowboys – 69 to be precise – and never posted a loss record in any of his five seasons as a starter. The Cowboys have won NFC East twice and one playoff game. In 2019, Prescott set career highs in overtaking (4,902) and touchdown passes (30). In 2020, he was well on his way to setting an NFL record for overtaking yards with 1,856 in his five starts. He had nine touchdown passes and four interceptions.
We never saw the full marriage of Prescott and coach Mike McCarthy play out because of the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in a virtual offseason program (Prescott did not attend), and then because of the quarterback’s injury.
After this deal is completed, Prescott will be participating in the 2021 off-season.
It’s Prescott’s off-season work that makes him popular with teammates. Last year too Prescott had skill players in his house not far from The Star for workouts on the grass field in his back yard.
The intangibles and leadership cannot be quantified, but Pro Bowl’s offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, race back Ezekiel Elliottand recipient Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee lamb Believe in Prescott when the cowboys are in a late game situation.
“He’s everything you want a quarterback … someone anyone would run through the wall for him,” said Martin.
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What does it mean for players on the other side of the ball to know Prescott will find a way to win if things don’t go right for three quarters of the way, as he did 2018 against Philadelphia in a week 14 Gain overtime.
“That’s how it works,” said Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee said. “He’s leading from the front. He’s in there and lifting with us, he’s in there and running with us. When he practices, he practices with a certain intensity. As I said, executives, the first thing they do is to lead by example. and there is no one better to lead by example than Dak. “
Now Prescott has to deliver.
Cowboys quarterbacks are judged by championships. Don Meredith was the first to find out. Then Danny White. Romo was the youngest. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for their skills and leadership skills and their five combined Vince Lombardi trophies.
Prescott’s contract comes with high expectations. He has already carried out his draft position. Now the expectations are much higher: to win a Super Bowl.
