Getty Dak Prescott, Dez Bryant
The NFL world reacted in kind Monday following the bombshell news of Dak Prescott’s contract agreement with the Dallas Cowboys.
Among those weighing in was Cowboys legend Dez Bryant, who vicariously celebrated his ex-quarterback’s record-setting windfall.
“@dak !!! Congratulations brotha well deserved… sh*t I feel like I got paid!!!” Bryant tweeted.
Bryant — who’s made nearly $58 million in career earnings — consistently has advocated for Prescott to get paid, particularly after the two held private throwing sessions prior to the 2020 campaign. They last shared an NFL field together in 2017, the former’s final salvo in silver and blue, when he made 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns across all 16 starts.
But it was 2015 which sprang to Dez’s mind after learning of Dak’s deal. That year, then-Pro Bowl running back DeMarco Murray left Dallas to sign with the rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, a stunning defection that Bryant claims he rued — and praised the team for not repeating.
“The Dak situation started to remind me whenever we let Demarco walk in 15… me personally I knew our chances of having a chance to win the super bowl was gone.. it wasn’t the catch it was Demarco leaving the team which made me feel hopeless Smart decision @dallascowboys ….” he tweeted.
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More Player Reaction
Bryant is one of many members of Prescott’s circle — friends and family — who took to Twitter to express their happiness over the two-time Pro Bowler rewriting league history with his landmark pact.
“HE’S BAAAAAACCCKKKK —> @dak” Cowboys pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence tweeted.
“CONGRATS @dak !!!!! #EarnedIt” Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford tweeted.
“Ayyyyyyeeeeee LFG!!!!! Dak deserve that!!! #TRUELEADER @dak happy for you 4 !!!!” Cowboys linebacker Justin March tweeted.
“One of my favorite teammates of all-time! Well deserved @dak” ex-Cowboys WR Randall Cobb tweeted.
“I am a lifelong Cowboy fan and I raised the kid a Cowboy fan,” Prescott’s father, Nat, told the Dallas Morning News. “At five years old he told me he will be a quarterback for the Cowboys. I don’t think God gives you those types of gifts to make them incomplete.”
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Contract Breakdown
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Prescott’s pact is worth up to $164 million overall and includes $126 million in guarantees and a $66 million signing bonus, both NFL records. He’ll earn an average of $42 million annually over the first three years — $75 million in year one, the biggest single-season payout in league history.
Prescott, 27, who reportedly will count $22.2 million against the team’s 2021 salary cap, also landed a no-trade clause and no-tag provision, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The 2016 fourth-round pick becomes the sport’s second-highest-paid QB behind Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, who averages $45 million annually on his North American sports record $503 million extension, inked in 2020. Dak, meanwhile, surpasses Houston’s Deshaun Watson, who earns $39 million as part of his $156 million contract.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL