Dak Prescott barely had a chance to enjoy his record-breaking NFL contract before realizing it came with its own set of challenges.
His Cowboys teammates were quick to let him know their expectations. “They’re expecting Rolexes,” Prescott joked. “Everybody’s giving me their wrist size.”
Prescott threw a touchdown pass just hours after finalizing a four-year, $240 million deal with Dallas. The Cowboys’ defense also put pressure on Deshaun Watson in his return, leading to a decisive 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in their season opener on Sunday.
This contract makes Prescott the first player to average $60 million per season and ends the speculation about his future with the Cowboys, who have won 12 games each of the last three years with him at quarterback.
Earlier in the week, Prescott, coming off his best season and entering the final year of his contract, expressed his desire to be the quarterback who ends the team’s Super Bowl drought. Now, he has the time to make that happen.
“It’s about holding up my end of the deal,” Prescott said. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and spent most of the second half relaxing on the sideline.
Prescott received the news about his contract from his agent while preparing in his hotel room before heading to the stadium. His first action was to hug teammate Ezekiel Elliott, who had supported him early in his career.
“I am just super excited for him,” said Elliott, who scored a 3-yard touchdown in his first game back with the Cowboys. “I see the work he puts in day in and day out, so I could not think of a more deserving person to get that contract.”
Prescott threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter, and the Cowboys took a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter with a 60-yard punt return touchdown by KaVontae Turpin.
Brandon Aubrey added field goals from 57, 50, 46, and 40 yards for Dallas.
Prescott’s contract came just two weeks after the Cowboys signed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136 million deal. Lamb had missed all of training camp before the contract was finalized.
“We have some experience handling distractions, so we managed it well,” coach Mike McCarthy said with a chuckle. “The timing was different, but he handled it nicely.
We made sure to congratulate him on his achievement because it’s something to celebrate. But right after that, he was focused.”
Watson played for the first time since injuring his right shoulder in November. The Browns’ new offense, which didn’t feature him during the preseason, struggled under his leadership.
Watson was sacked six times and threw two interceptions. At 28 years old, he didn’t play well; he overthrew several passes, held the ball too long on some plays, and looked uneasy as the Cowboys covered his receivers tightly.
He completed 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards in just his 13th game with Cleveland since signing a fully guaranteed $230 million deal in 2022.
At halftime, the Browns were behind by 17 points, had only one first down, and were outgained 216 to 54 yards.
“They came out and hit us hard on both sides,” said Browns Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio. “It was disappointing.”
On Dallas’ first scoring drive, Prescott made a nice throw with a 34-yard pass to Lamb along the right sideline.
Prescott almost threw an interception on the next play, but then he threw his first touchdown pass of the season to Cooks, who got past safety Juan Thornhill and made an easy catch in the end zone.
Elliott, who had a quiet season with New England last year, was re-signed by the Cowboys in April after they had cut him to save money. The 28-year-old scored to give the Cowboys a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.
The Browns had taken a 3-0 lead with a 51-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins, who has made all nine kicks over 50 yards since Cleveland traded for him before last season.
