In Cleveland, Ohio, USA, Dak Prescott barely had time to celebrate receiving the largest contract in NFL history before learning that it came with a price.
All of his Cowboys teammates want something.
“They’re waiting for Rolexes,” Prescott joked. “They’re all giving me their wrist sizes.”
Dak Prescott threw a touchdown pass hours after agreeing to a four-year, $240 million contract extension with Dallas, and the Cowboys’ defense manhandled Deshaun Watson in his return, beating the Cleveland Browns 33-17 on Sunday.
Prescott’s contract makes him the first player to average $60 million a season and ends months of speculation about his future with the Cowboys, who have won 12 games in three straight years under his leadership.
Earlier this week, Prescott, coming off his best season and entering the final year of his contract, said he wants to be the quarterback to end the team’s Super Bowl drought. He’ll get that chance. “This is all about holding up my end of the bargain,” said Prescott, who completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and sat back for much of the second half. Prescott was getting ready in his hotel room to head to the stadium when he got a surprise call from his agent, informing him of the contract. His next move was to hug teammate Ezekiel Elliott, whom he credits with helping him when he was a young player.
“I’m super excited for him,” said Elliott, who had a 3-yard touchdown in his first game back with the Cowboys. “I see the work he puts in day in and day out, so I can’t think of anyone else who is more deserving of this contract.”
Prescott threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter, and the Cowboys took a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter on KaVontae Turpin’s 60-yard punt return.
Brandon Aubrey connected on field goals of 57, 50, 46 and 40 yards for Dallas.
“We have some experience with distractions so we were able to deal with that,” head coach Mike McCarthy said with a laugh.
“The timing was different, but he handled it very well. We made sure to congratulate him along the way because it’s something you should celebrate. But as soon as we completed it, he was focused.”
Watson played for the first time since breaking a bone in his right shoulder in November. He was sacked six times and had two interceptions. He finished 24 of 45 for 169 yards in his 13th game with Cleveland since signing a fully guaranteed $230 million contract in 2022.
And the steelworkers?
In Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with Russell Wilson’s debut with Pittsburgh paused due to injury, Justin Fields took over the offense in the Steelers’ 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, with a big help from the powerful right foot of Chris Boswell.
Boswell hit six field goals, three of them from 50-plus yards, and the Steelers made life miserable for Kirk Cousins in his first game as Atlanta’s millionaire quarterback.
Boswell converted field goals of 57, 56, 51, 44, 40 and 25 yards to account for all of the Steelers’ points.
Wilson was ruled out before the game and was benched as the third inactive quarterback. Pittsburgh kept play-calling secret under new coordinator Arthur Smith, who was fired in January after three seasons as Atlanta’s head coach.
Cousins hardly looked like a quarterback worth the four-year, $180 million contract the Falcons gave him in free agency, including $100 million guaranteed. In his first game since Oct. 29, 2023, he was 16 of 26 for 155 yards with two interceptions.
Fields finished 17 of 23 for 156 yards. (AP)
Photo: AP
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