Getty Dak Prescott saved Ezekiel Elliott a lot of money.
Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are the faces of the Dallas Cowboys franchise, but the two players had different paths to becoming stars. Elliott was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but Prescott was taken much later as the Cowboys finally snagged him in the fourth round after missing out on other quarterback targets.
Prescott revealed a funny story of how Elliott left a $5 million check in his truck, which was worth more than the quarterback’s entire rookie contract.
“Yeah, maybe the first couple of days of rookie mini camp, and I think I had a car at the time, Zeke didn’t [and] he was riding with me” Prescott explained during his November 18 press conference. “I tell people all the time, he left one of his $5 million signing bonuses in my truck and I’m like, ‘This is more than I’ll make actually in the next four years, come get this bud.’
“So, I just think from there, just our trust, our friendship, the time that we spent together. As I said from rookie mini camp, [our friendship] has just grown time and time again. Yeah, he’s a great person.”
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Zeke’s Rookie Signing Bonus Was Well Above Dak’s Entire First Contract
Elliott signed a four-year, $24.9 million deal after being drafted by the Cowboys compared to Prescott’s contract that was just over $3 million. According to Spotrac, the quarterback’s signing bonus was $383,000, a far cry from the check Elliott left in Prescott’s car.
Elliott earned a $16.3 million signing bonus in his rookie season. Not only did Prescott make much less money to start his career, the quarterback was not assured a roster spot as a fourth-round selection.
Things eventually evened out for Prescott who is now making much more than Elliott. Prescott signed a four-year, $160 million deal with the Cowboys last offseason. This is a good bit higher than Elliott’s six-year, $90 million deal, but the rusher has the most lucrative contract of any NFL running back, per Over the Cap.
McCarthy on Prescott & Elliott: ‘It’s a Special Relationship’
The dynamic duo is not only two of the top NFL players, but they have grown close away from football. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy discussed what he has observed about their relationship.
“It’s a special relationship, I would say it’s on the level of brothers,” McCarthy noted during a November 18 press conference. “I mean they’re together a lot, they laugh a lot together. They push each other, they warm up together. So, you can see the connection that they have on the field. So, obviously two excellent, great young football players but definitely their bond will go far far beyond the football field.”
Elliott was recently asked about Prescott’s fiery pre-game speech he gave prior to the team’s Week 10 victory over the Falcons. The Cowboys running back described his friend as “intense.”
“I think that’s normal, I think it’s definitely normal for [Prescott],” Elliott explained during his Week 10 postgame press conference. “I mean, he’s intense, he’s gonna come ready to go, but I think he definitely wanted this week a little bit more after what happened to us last week. Dak [is] our leader, we go as he go, and we did we did our job today.”