‘Massive overpay’ – Jerry Jones hands out NFL record-setting $376 million in contracts to two players but Dallas Cowboys fans are dreaming of the Super Bowl
Jerry Jones came through in the final hours.
After an offseason filled with constant contract drama, the richest sports franchise in the world kicked off a new NFL season by paying its franchise quarterback.
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The Dallas Cowboys handed QB Dak Prescott a massive four-year, $240 million contract extension that features a record-setting average annual value of $60 million.
Prescott is a three-time Pro Bowler and statistically one of the best field generals in the league.
But Prescott is just 2-5 in the playoffs and there are looming questions about his ability to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory.
After paying wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136 million), Jones has now committed a whopping $376 million to two offensive players before the Cowboys have even played a game in 2024.
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"That's crazy," one fan posted.
"Massive overpay," a second fan wrote.
"COWBOYS ARE COOKED," a third fan tweeted.
However, Tom Brady was a fan of the huge extensions as the Patriots legend made his NFL broadcasting debut.
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"I would, too," said Brady, supporting the Cowboys making Prescott the highest-paid QB in the league by AAV.
Dallas has gone 12-5 in three consecutive seasons but has annually fallen short in the playoffs.
Fan apathy surrounded the team entering the 2024 season, which fully kicked off on Sunday with contests throughout the day.
John McClain, who's covered the NFL for 48 years in Houston and is a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, exclusively told talkSPORT in August that the Cowboys would have no choice but to re-sign Prescott.
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The veteran QB held maximum leverage in negotiations, since Dallas had no back-up answer and is in full win-now mode.
"All you hear about the Cowboys all offseason and now -- contracts, contracts, contracts," McClain said.
"Will Dak Prescott become the most expensive quarterback in history at $60 million a year? I believe he will, because they can't keep him. If he wants to walk away and go on the open market after this season, he can do it."
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Prescott's new deal is so massive that it reset the market for NFL QBs and knocked Green Bay's Jordan Love out of the top 10.
Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson top the NFL in total QB contracts.
But no one makes more per year than Prescott, who is now set up to finish his career with the team that drafted him in the fourth round out of Mississippi State in 2016.
The ninth-year pro had made more than $162 million in his career entering the 2024 season.
"What the guaranteed money means is a big commitment for the next five years to our future, if you will," Jones told the Cowboys' official site.
"There's a lot of me that thinks that Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time. That's not just limited to the terms of this contract, either."
Dallas opened its new football year against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Brady called the game for FOX, making his NFL debut as a broadcaster.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles picked up opening victories, while Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police on Sunday before the Dolphins played.
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