March 9, 2021

By Jack Mcnicholas

After a year like no other for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, he finds light in what seemed to be a year of darkness. Unsuccessful in getting a long-term deal last offseason, A mix of personal tragedies off-field, sustaining a season-ending injury in week 5 of the 2020 season, Prescott has bet on himself, and it has finally paid off in the form of a massive contract. On Monday, Dak signed a 4-year deal worth $160 million to remain in Dallas. This contract comes with many record-breaking elements. In the first year of his contract, Prescott will make $75 million, the most in NFL history for a single year. The deal will have $126 million guaranteed, which is an NFL record, along with a $66 million signing bonus surpassing Russell Wilson’s $65 million for another NFL record. In a year of uncertainty for Dak, he receives this well-deserved contract before free agency starts next week. Now that both sides have agreed on a deal, it is inevitable that Dak will continue to be a leader of this team as he makes his way back from this ankle surgery. When this deal ends, he will be 31 and in line for another big payday if he can repeat his career’s success so far.

Suppose you asked me before the 2020 season whether or not I believed that Dak Prescott deserved a big contract. I would have stated that there was still much more that Dak needed to show the NFL world to earn an enormous deal. I did not deny his talent; however, it was not evident he could play to his full potential due to the scheme in place offensively. When you watched the Cowboys over the past five seasons, you see them as a run-first attack with bell-cow running back Ezekiel Elliott, which led many to believe, even myself, that Dak was a part of a system, without any deep ball philosophy in Dallas for the past half-decade, it did not seem right to say he deserved the extension. Now with Mike McCarthy as the head coach for the foreseeable future, Dallas fans can expect a more pass-happy offensive philosophy. Last year it became evident that they could not continue to rely on the run game and had their best offensive performances when Dak was the starter for the first quarter of the season. The question is will the signing be enough for them to make this team a Superbowl Contender? That is still the looming question.

Fans have watched Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady win Super Bowls and say to yourself, what does Dallas need to do to be a threat? The answer? Have Dak lead this team and play the way he did before his injury in 2020. Prescott took the opportunity to play every snap with maximum effort and showed that he is a serious threat with his arm downfield. He was even leading the league before the injury in yards with 1,856 through the air. Averaging 371 yards per game (YPG) through the air showed that all of the talk about Dak not having the arm strength was out the window. This was a Dak we had not seen before. Now in place are three reliable receiving weapons in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Ceedee Lamb. The future is bright for this offense. It was evident that when Dak was gone, these players were not as much of a threat to opposing defenses. The quarterbacks who played this season, Andy Dalton, Garrett Gilbert, and Ben Dinucci, all found themselves leading stagnant offenses. Letting Dak go after watching how the other quarterbacks on the roster performed would be a mistake. They showed the impact of him not being there. Four years under Dak and they never had their record fall below .500, this man has proven that he is a winner. Signing a player with a win percentage like Daks will make the team better for years to come. It is a well-deserved deal for someone who’s taken adversity and never let it waiver their character.

To truly understand why Dak is deserving of this deal, let’s look back on the achievements. Dak came out as a rookie from Mississippi State, where every team passed on him until the 4th round of the 2016 draft when the 135th pick rolled around, and Dallas found their future quarterback. Prescott took over for long time Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and started all 16 games his rookie year, resulting in a streak for the next four seasons without missing a start. In his rookie campaign, Dak led the Cowboys along with fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott to a 13-win season, an NFC East title, and earning a first-round playoff bye, as well as earning a Pro-Bowl nod and taking home the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Since then, Dak has always been questioned as a starter, and the adversity he faces only gets more significant. Whether on or off the field, Dak has handled himself as a professional and a Dallas Cowboys leader. After two playoff berths in four seasons, he’s showed that this team could be successful with him at the helm.

A big reason Dak did not want to accept playing under the franchise-tag, was the lack of security it would provide for him to be with the team long term. Although the franchise tag comes with a high price, it is only one year long. Dak emphasized last season that he wanted to remain in Dallas; however, he was unhappy to play on the franchise tag. He will be receiving this deal because they have seen his development over the years, and his loyalty to the team never wavered. Letting him go anywhere else would not bode well for the franchise. Keeping him, giving him the signing bonus and salary for which he asked for is more than fair. Dak played out his whole rookie deal, which paid him around 3.6 Million in total over four years. The money is well deserved as we saw the Cowboy’s production drop and the team going 4-7 without him.

When you have a player like this who wants to win with the team that drafted him, you have to sign him to an extension. Did anyone expect this much? Probably not. However, the offseason is full of unpredictable deals, and Dak will come back strong; and with all this money coming to him, he knows he has a lot to prove. It will be a comeback story fans remember for a long time.