'I'm excited to be here and never leave'
Dak Prescott will remain a Dallas Cowboy for the long term.
Prescott, the 27-year-old franchise quarterback, signed a four-year contract with the Cowboys on Monday. It came on the eve before the NFL’s franchise tag deadline, and made sure that Prescott, guaranteed $126 million, will remain in Dallas just as both he and the team had talked about for not only months, but years.
Prescott sounded thrilled with the decision, specifically noting how no longer needs to address questions like he would if he played out the 2021 season on a second consecutive franchise tag.
“This is the right fit,” Prescott told reporters during a press conference Wednesday to announce the signing. “Never in a million years did I imagine not being a Cowboys once I put on the Star.
“I’m excited to be here and never leave. This is my home, I’m not leaving and this is only the beginning.”
The signal-caller, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, would have been able to test free agency if he did not come to a long-term deal with the Cowboys before the July 15 deadline. He no longer has that worry.
And he received quite the payday to go along with it. Prescott will earn a $160 million base salary on the four-year deal with a massive chunk, as much as $75 million per multiple reports, coming in Year One.
Prescott, of course, is recovering from a gruesome injury after he suffered a compound fracture and dislocated ankle during Week 5 against the New York Giants. The signal-caller, though, addressed his recovery Wednesday and explained how he was “healthy.”
He’ll look to prove that as the Cowboys set out on their 2021 campaign after finishing with a bad 6-10 record en route to a third-place finish in the NFC East.