Andy Dalton Calls Cowboys Contract 'The Best Opportunity for This Year'

Former Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

The Katy, Texas, native joined ESPN's The Adam Schefter Podcast on Monday to discuss why he chose Dallas, where he will back up starter Dak Prescott (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams):

"Once I got released, at that point I had to figure out, OK, what's going to be best for me, what's going to be best for my future for the next 10 years for me? So, just weighing all the options—I had several options out there, and I had to figure out what was the best situation for me to go into that was going to set me up for this next half of my career. After weighing everything, I felt like going to Dallas was going to be the right fit for me this year. Like I said earlier, I'm excited. I think it's going to be a great opportunity."

Dalton added: "This team's ready to win. I felt like it was the best opportunity for this year, and it hopefully set me up for my future. This was a big-picture plan."

The Bengals released their 2011 second-round pick Thursday:

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported on Sunday that Dalton had five other suitors.

Dalton attended TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, before landing in Cincinnati. The 32-year-old won't have to make much of a move to the Cowboys, as he lives in Dallas during the offseason, per Williams.

The three-time Pro Bowler is the Bengals' all-time leader in passing touchdowns (204) and ranks second in franchise history in passing yards (31,594). Dalton helped Cincinnati make the playoffs five straight years (2011-15), but he has never won a postseason game (he missed the Bengals' 2015 playoff game with an injury).

He told Schefter he is looking forward to improving under Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, whom Dallas hired in January, and experiencing winning football:

Dalton's signing sparked conversations about how Prescott will be affected by having a veteran quarterback as his backup while he's in contract negotiations with the Cowboys:

Dallas placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott, and the two sides have until July 15 to agree on a long-term deal.

Dalton will again become a free agent after the 2020 season.