Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explains why he made Dak Prescott highest-paid player in NFL

CLEVELAND – Jerry Jones attended the Dallas Cowboys ’ walkthrough Saturday and saw his quarterback, Dak Prescott. The octogenarian owner approached Prescott, who became the highest-paid player in football Sunday as he and the Cowboys agreed to a record-setting $240 million contract extension .

“And I said, ‘Now, let’s go, now, before kickoff,’” Jones said Sunday.

They had a handshake deal before practice even started. Of course, Prescott’s representation and Cowboys executives had a lot to do over the next few hours to wrap things up before the Cowboys’ 2024 season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Prescott said that's about how it all went down.

'He said, 'Let’s surprise the world.' (It) somewhat surprised me. But it got done. But that was really it. It was short and sweet," Prescott said. "He said, ‘Let’s get this thing behind us.’ But that just gave me confidence that they were trying to get this thing done, that we were going to meet in the middle.”

Jones confirmed the deal was worth the reported $60 million annually, with $231 million guaranteed.

“What it means is a big commitment to the next five years, our future, if you will,” Jones, 81, said. “There’s a lot of me that hopes Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time – and that’s just not limited to the terms of this contract, either.”

For the Cowboys, Prescott’s signing eliminates a distraction that lasted all offseason and the duration of training camp. Sometimes, deadlines can be good things, Cowboys executive vice president and CEO Stephen Jones said.

“I know Dak’s the best at compartmentalizing things, but (I) still think it feeds down into the team and staff and organization,” Stephen Jones said. "I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Jerry Jones said the team follows Prescott, and that he has known all along that Prescott is a franchise quarterback, one of the best in the league. To hear Jones say the person mattered as much as the player meant a lot to Prescott.

“I’ve seen too many very important deals not work out just because of miscalculating the right time, when everyone’s ready to go,” said Jones, who became convinced in recent days that the ideal time had indeed arrived.

Jones added: “This was the thing to do for what we’re here for, and that is to win a championship. I know our fans know that.”

Rather than point the finger at Jones for the holdup, Prescott said, “it could have been me.”

“I didn’t take anything personal," the quarterback added. "I wasn't upset about where we were in the talks. Wouldn’t have been upset if they didn’t get done today.”

After persistent facing persistent criticism for following his offseason claim that he's "all in" by making scant personnel moves, Jones said he disagrees that he isn’t fully committed to building a winner. After all, he said, he just handed out the most lucrative contract in the history of the sport.

“I gave everything I ever had or hoped to have for a chance to be a part of the Cowboys,” Jones said, “beyond my fondest dreams of where we stand today.”

Jones called Prescott to congratulate him and said he's excited Prescott will be the team's signal-caller for what he expects to be the rest of his life.

“I’m giving the guy longer than four years," Prescott said, "so I guess he’s insinuating we’re doing another contract.”

Jones said he never doubted that the two sides would be unable to reach a deal.

“My prayer is that we have the ability to put the supporting cast around him,” he said.

That won’t be easy. CeeDee Lamb, Prescott’s favorite receiving target, signed a four-year, $136 million extension ($100 guaranteed). The team will have to pay big money to linebacker Micah Parsons, and he’s also worthy of a record deal. The challenge is what Jones appreciates about his job.

“It was never about whether Dak should be the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said. “It was, ‘What kind of team could we put around him?’ I’ve gotten peace of mind, satisfied, that we (can) put a good team around him.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explains why he made Dak Prescott highest-paid player in NFL