Cowboys' Jerry Jones Explains Dak Prescott Contract Talks, Wasn't 'A Test'

Dak Prescott is now one of the highest-paid players in the NFL after agreeing to a four-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, and owner Jerry Jones doesn't mind the price tag.

He told reporters Wednesday:

"The truth is most anything that I've ever been involved in that ended up being special I overpaid for, every time, to the end. Anytime I've tried to get a bargain, I got just that. It was a bargain in a lot of ways and not up to standard. And so, the other thing, that our process of getting here from Dak's rookie deal, I knew that Dak wanted to be here and really no place else. I knew that and I think Dak knew how good he fit here, although I can understand his apprehension. This was not a test of some sort of 'Can Dak handle it?' or something like that. That wasn't the case at all."

The new contract is reportedly worth $160 million with $126 million guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

This comes after the 2016 fourth-round pick made just $4.9 million in his first four seasons in the NFL combined, per Spotrac. The number jumped significantly after playing on the franchise tag last season ($31.4 million).

The 27-year-old could have made $37.7 million on the franchise tag in 2021 if the two sides weren't able to agree on a new deal.

Jones showed his team believes in Prescott, who became QB1 right away despite being a Day 3 draft pick. He started his first 69 regular-season games, plus three playoff games, until a fractured right ankle sidelined him in 2020 after just five games.

In that time, Prescott was named Offensive Rookie of the Year, earned two Pro Bowl selections and finished second in the NFL in passing yards in 2019. He began last season with an average of 371.2 passing yards per game, a pace that would have been an NFL record over a full season.

Dallas struggling to a 6-10 record in 2020 also showed how much the team needed Prescott.