ARLINGTON, Texas — By not agreeing to a contract extension before the season, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is betting on himself.
He put his cards on the table in the Cowboys’ 35-17 season-opening win Sunday against the New York Giants.
Prescott completed 25 of 32 passes for 405 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions for his second straight game against the Cowboys’ NFC East rival. He had four touchdown and 387 yards in the 2018 season-finale at MetLife Stadium last December.
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Prescott and Tony Romo, who did it twice, are the only quarterbacks in Cowboys’ history with 400 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Prescott is the fifth quarterback in NFL history to open a season with 400 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Ryan Fitzpatrick did it last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints.
While the Cowboys signed DeMarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith, La’el Collins and Ezekiel Elliott to contracts that included $185.5 million in guaranteed money before the season started, they were not able to get Prescott under wraps long-term before Sunday’s game, although talks have picked up in recent days.
League sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Prescott has loss-of-value and disability insurance policies as well as multi-year endorsement deals that are valued at more than $50 million. The Cowboys have made Prescott an offer that is among the top-five quarterbacks, which means more than $30 million per season, but based off Sunday, the price is not coming down, especially after Sunday’s performance.
Prescott finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 for the game but really it was his work in the second quarter that was exemplary. Sure, in the first quarter he threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Blake Jarwin, but he completed 12 of 14 passes for 158 yards in the second quarter with touchdown throws to Jason Witten and Amari Cooper.
On the first drive of the second half, Prescott equaled his career high with his fourth touchdown pass, hitting Randall Cobb for 25 yards after hitting Cooper for 45 yards on the first play of the third quarter. On the Cowboys’ second drive of the second half, Prescott hit Michael Gallup for 62 yards that preceded Elliott’s 10-yard touchdown run.
Late in the fourth quarter, Prescott was pulled in favor of backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
His day was over and his price might never be higher
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