Cowboys Make Pro Bowl Quarterback Highest-Paid NFL Player

The Dallas Cowboys made a huge move on Sunday, extending quarterback Dak Prescott just hours before their first regular season game. Where the main story would have been on their game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field, it’s now been overtaken by Prescott’s massive contract. The Cowboys signed Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract which now makes him the highest-paid NFL player on a per-year basis.

Prescott’s 2023 Season Earned Him Deal

Prescott is coming off an elite season where he passed for 4,516 yards and a league-leading 36 touchdowns to go along with a 69.5 completion percentage. The veteran signal-caller led his team to a 12-5 record, the top-ranked offense, and his fourth division title since entering the league. His impressive season earned him Second-Team All-Pro honors as well as runner-up for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award. Also, Prescott was selected to the Pro Bowl, his third such honor.

Concerns about Prescott Following Extension

Jerry Jones surprised many people by deciding to give his quarterback this massive contract. Though Prescott had a great season last year, the season prior was far from ideal. In 2022, he played in just 12 games, but still led the NFL in interceptions with 15, and only had 23 passing touchdowns to make up for it. Also, he’s been successful enough to get to the playoffs five times but has rarely had success in the postseason. Prescott has a 2-5 record in the playoffs, throwing 14 touchdowns to seven interceptions with a mediocre 55.2 completion percentage. In January, he got embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers, losing 48-32 and throwing two interceptions in the first four drives.

Deal Details

Conveniently enough, the Cowboys will be going against Deshaun Watson this evening, who inspired the guaranteed contract trend that is seen among contracts now. $231 million of the $240 million deal is fully guaranteed, just $1 million more guaranteed than Watson’s fully guaranteed deal. Prescott’s deal may break the quarterback market since the average value of his deal is so high. The next-highest-paid quarterbacks are making $55 million a year; a three-way tie with Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence.