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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterSep 8, 2024, 09:58 PM ET
- Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
CLEVELAND — Dak Prescott was in his room at the downtown Cleveland Marriott at Key Tower when the Dallas Cowboys quarterback got the call that he was going to become the highest-paid player in NFL history.
He was with Ezekiel Elliott, his teammate and closest friend, and his physical therapist, Luke Miller, getting his body ready for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns as his agent, Todd France, FaceTimed him with the news: a four-year extension worth $240 million with $231 million guaranteed.
“A little emotional call,” Prescott said.
From there were calls to his girlfriend, Sarah Jane Ramos, and a hello to his baby daughter, M.J. More calls went to his marketing team, financial advisers and his father. He sent out a number of text messages as well.
Not more than an hour later, he was on the team bus to Huntington Bank Field and later led the Cowboys to a 33-17 win against the Cleveland Browns.
“It works for everyone and understanding where this cap is going, just excited that it’s behind us and I can focus on winning games,” Prescott said.
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By the time Prescott plays out the deal in 2028, he could potentially make more than $400 million in his career.
But he said a Super Bowl is what matters most.
“It’s my only motivation,” Prescott said. “Hold up my part of this deal. Just deliver that. That’s my motivation. Right now it’s about celebrating this win tonight. Hell of a win with these guys, excited for this plane ride back with them, but then turning the page tomorrow, getting on to the Saints and taking it one game at a time. That is what is at the forefront of my mind. Not the money. It’s about holding up my end of the deal. And I want to do it here.”
In 1989, owner and general manager Jerry Jones paid $140 million to buy the Cowboys and Texas Stadium. He won three Super Bowls in his first five years as owner, but the Cowboys’ championship drought has stretched to 28 years.
“I know that these numbers are beyond anything that I could have ever imagined,” Jones said of the guaranteed money in Prescott’s deal.
If Prescott played out the season without a deal, the Cowboys would have had a $40 million salary cap hit in 2025 to go along with not having a franchise quarterback. Ultimately, they were not going to take the chance.
“This was the thing to do for what we’re here for — and that is to win a championship,” Jones said. “I know our fans know that. I’m surprised that anyone would think that anything short of — they might disagree with the decision — but anything short of a commitment is just not the case with me.
“I gave everything I ever had or hoped to have to get a chance to be a part of the Cowboys. And it’s beyond my fondest dreams where we stand today.”
It is beyond Prescott’s as well. A fourth-round pick in 2016, Prescott could end up as the franchise’s all-time leader in wins, passing yards, touchdown passes, attempts and completions.
Prescott, 31, finished last season with 4,516 passing yards and a league-leading 36 touchdown passes. The three-time Pro Bowler is the third-leading passer in Cowboys history, behind only Tony Romo and Troy Aikman, and his 203 career touchdown passes trail only Romo (248) on the franchise’s all-time list.
Prescott has directed the Cowboys to the postseason five times in his career (2016, 2018, 2021-23), but they have not gotten past the divisional round. In 2016, the Cowboys had home-field advantage and lost in the divisional round to the Green Bay Packers.
There is pressure being the Cowboys’ quarterback and even more pressure now in being the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL by $5 million on average. Green Bay’s Jordan Love, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence all make $55 million a season.
“I put the most pressure on myself,” said Prescott, who completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown Sunday. “Simple as that. I’m not happy with my … performance today and that’s what motivates me. That’s what pushes me. You try to be — and I say try — you try to be bummed about it in the locker room, but you know it’s a win on the road, which is good for the team and then you got teammates telling you it was a hell of a day for you.
“I put the most pressure on myself. Nobody’s a bigger critic than I am personally, and I expect greatness out of myself with my standards, my expectations and the same for this team.
“So there’s no added pressure.”
