Jerry Jones always says that deadlines make deals and this time he really put things to the test. At figuratively the 11th hour, the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have agreed to a contract extension just ahead of their 2024 Week 1 kickoff against the Cleveland Browns. Actually as the club is in Cleveland for the game, the deal was literally signed at the 11th hour.
The extension, for four years and calued at $240 million, will keep Prescott in Dallas through the 2028 season, which will be his 12th in the NFL. It makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history based on average annual salary, which checks in at a neat $60 million. Selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft with a compensatory pick, Prescott has been the team’s opening day starter every season of his career.
Prescott’s deal absolutely clears the $55 million average salary of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love; all who signed those deals coming out of their rookie contracts.
Prescott has accumulated a record of 73-41 as a starter and 2-5 in the playoffs. Prescott has an outside shot of becoming the franchise’s all-time passing yardage leader late in the season as he sits 4,724 yards behind Tony Romo’s 34,183.
Prescott is second to Romo in touchdown passes as well, 243 to 202. Both of those marks seem destined to fall in short order and with the extension, Prescott’s regular-season win total of 73 will soon surpass Troy Aikman’s record of 93.
Prescott set a soft deadline for negotiations of the season opener, not wanting the regular season to be impacted by the negotiations. The club finally came through.