If you felt like the Dallas Cowboys' contract negotiations with three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott turned into a months-long soap opera, that's ok.
Prescott felt the same way, which is why he pressured agent Todd France to provide him a sense of finality in this saga, and France certainly delivered for his client. The 31-year-old quarterback, who led the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns last season, signed a four-year, $240 million extension Sunday morning. That deal makes him the NFL's highest-paid player with an average annual salary of $60 million, the most guaranteed money ($231 million) and the largest signing bonus ($80 million)
"It was a little emotional call, from the both of us," Prescott said postgame after Dallas' 33-17 win at the Cleveland Browns. "I put some pressure on him [France], I guess you could say. He definitely delivered. It was a great call. ... I put pressure on him to get this behind me whether I was getting it done or playing the season without it."
One of the bigger drivers on Prescott's end in getting the deal completed was wanting to move on from the weekly discussion about the contract before discussing football topics.
"It wasn't necessarily pressure of 'I need this, go do this.' Honestly wanted to stop answering your guys' questions," Prescott said. "I love you guys. Y'all are fun, but I don't care to talk about money. That was the only annoyance about this whole deal. Having to answer questions over and over and time and time again about the negotiations. I just wanted that behind me. If it meant me not being here, which I didn't want to think about. I said that over and over again, I just wanted to be at peace with whatever the decision was. Wanted to be a Cowboy, wanted to stay a Cowboy. Glad it got done for all of us. For me personally, good to just finish these questions, and I hope after today we're done talking about it and my pockets."
While many have questioned owner and general manager Jerry Jones' negotiation methods since both his deal and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's four-year, $136 million deal required drawn out talks, the Cowboys quarterback did not. He acknowledged his role in the prolonged back-and-forth.
"No, not all," Prescott said when asked if he ever asked Jerry Jones why the deal took so long to get done. "It could've been me. I know my part in this whole deal, and that's where negotiations come. I understand the business point blank. This game is a business. I've said it before. I don't take anything personal. I wasn't upset with where we were in the talks, and I wouldn't have been upset if it didn't get done today."
One of the first calls Prescott received after the deal was from Jones himself. That's when the 81-year-old first shared his sentiment that he wants Dak to be his quarterback for the rest of his life. Jones then inferred to the media that Prescott's latest Cowboys contract won't be his last.
"He [Jerry Jones] called me after, obviously congratulated me," Prescott said. "I thanked him and he said, 'I want you to be the quarterback here.' It's weird [him] saying 'for his time.' I'm giving the guy longer than four years [to live] obviously. I guess he is insinuating we're doing another contract. He said obviously the player, but he also said the person and that meant a lot. I just want to hold up my end of the deal and deliver for him."
In addition to Jones' special remarks, Prescott was able to share the immediate elation of his landmark deal with Cowboys running back and BFF Ezekiel Elliott. Both were a part of the Cowboys' 2016 draft class with Zeke going fourth overall and Prescott coming off the board in the fourth round. Prescot was in his hotel room at the tea hotel in Cleveland with Elliott and physical therapist Luke Wilson with Wilson helping them with game preparation.
"It was special,. He was the first guy I hugged after getting the news, honestly" Prescott said of Elliott. "I think about a guy that really took care of me for the first couple of years when you talk about finances. He did. Whether it be partying, dinners, whatever. He's a guy that wouldn't let me pull out my wallet. He took care of me. For him, to be there in that moment, that hug, that was special."
Prescott registered arguably his most special season of his now nine-year NFL career in 2023 with a career-high 105.9 passer rating while head coach Mike McCarthy assumed offensive play-calling duties for the first time in his tenure as Dallas' head coach. McCarthy made sure to take a few minutes out of the duo's pregame meeting on Sunday to congratulate his pupil.
"Just so happy, so proud of Dak for getting that contract done," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said postgame on Sunday. "It's obviously very exciting for us an organization. That's a big move to lock up your quarterback for the future. The timing was different. I think he handled it like you would think he would. We meet fifteen minutes after he arrives as the stadium, so we had a normal meeting. We spent three minutes congratulating him on the contract. It's something you want to celebrate for the individual. I thought he was locked during the game. He was normal in his approach. That is the way he does everything."
The way his contract is structured with the record-setting $80 million signing bonus and record $231 million guaranteed, Spotrac estimates Prescott's cap hits on the new deal will decrease each year, which should aide Jones in building a team around him.
"When you look into the details, it works for everyone," Prescott said. "Understanding where this cap is going. I'm just excited that it's behind us and we can focus on winning games."
"All" of Prescott's motivation is now focused on the biggest game: the Super Bowl. Dallas hasn't advanced past the NFC Divisional Round since the 1995 season, the franchise's last Super Bowl tile year.
"That's all my motivation," Prescott said when asked about winning the Super Bowl. "Hold up my part of this deal and just deliver that. That's my motivation. That's what's at the forefront of my mind, not the money. It's about holding up my end of the deal and that's winning, and I want to do it here."
Sharing is caring
Prescott said running back Malik Davis was one of his teammates spearheading the charge to get everyone's wrist size taken down for their freshly-compensated quarterback to repay them all with high-end watches. Cowboys wide receiver/return man KaVontae Turpin, who had a 60-yard punt return touchdown on Sunday, said Prescott owed him "$1,500 a week because he is Turp."
"I told you guys I had an obligation to the league and to the other quarterbacks. One of the guys in the locker room, they're expecting Rolexes from me, I think some kind of watches or APs [Audemars Piguet] or something. Everybody was trying to give me their wrist size," Prescott said with a smile. "They mentioned the highest-paid, and it's because I'm a quarterback. To that, it was because I was up. The next guy will expect to beat me. That's the way the league is going. ... For me, it just means I was up next and focus on what you can control. Control what you can. The rest of the stuff takes care of itself. Blessed." ... Blessed to be these guys' quarterback and the quarterback here. Excited for next week."
Micah Parsons celebrates Prescott's deal, has an eye on his own
Three-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons racked up a sack and 11 quarterback pressures -- tied for the most in the NFL in Week 1 entering "Monday Night Football" -- against the Browns and also took part in the watch requests for Prescott.
He also made it clear he felt Prescott deserved every last penny.
"I said, 'Got Damn!' Dak owe me a little bit of money, so I went up to him right before we came here and said 'I'll never be broke.' Dak didn't cheat the game," Parsons said postgame on Sunday. "He earned everything he got. That just goes to his work, his dedication, his craft. Everything he put into it. Good things happen when you don't cheat the game. He has been 100% bought in since he has been here."
With Prescott and Lamb locked down, is the 25-year-old superstar pass rusher up next to be the Cowboys' next top-dollar deal?
"We'll see," Parsons said. "I just got to keep doing what I'm doing. Keep working. Keep trying to be the best player I can be. And try to win championships. And they'll probably throw me a little something on the side," Parsons said with a grin.