The elevation and the vote of confidence in Prescott are well-deserved. The 31-year-old quarterback is coming off a banner year in which he led the league with 410 completions and 36 touchdowns and finished second in MVP voting. Prescott’s marked improvement from the 2022 season, when he played just 12 games but still led the NFL with 15 interceptions, proved that the QB has gotten better with age, a pillar to continue to build around rather than one to abandon.

By signing Prescott before he was set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025, Dallas prevented their franchise QB from hitting the market with unprecedented leverage. In addition to his no-trade clause, Prescott benefited in the negotiations from the fact that he had already been franchise tagged twice. If Dallas were to tag him a third time, they would owe Prescott upwards of $80 million, a prohibitive sum even for the cash-rich Cowboys.

Sunday’s news caps a tumultuous offseason for Jerry Jones and the ‘Boys, who have been battling questions about the futures of Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons in Big D since training camp began. Jones had been fairly confident about the state of his big stars at The Star all summer, telling reporters he embraced the “ambiguity” of Dallas’ good problem. The Cowboys owner said late last month that the team didn’t have to close Dak’s deal before the start of the 2024 season, but Sunday’s soft deadline spurred action.

With Prescott and Lamb under contract, both near all-time highs, Dallas can turn its attention to a pivotal 2024 season and re-signing two-time All-Pro and perennial Defensive Player of Year candidate Parsons, who is entering his fourth season with the Cowboys. The star linebacker is under contract through the 2025 season after Dallas exercised his fifth-year option earlier this year, giving the Cowboys executives some breathing room before spending more money on big extensions.

The Cowboys can now say with certainty that they are going all in — for Prescott, their quarterback of now and the future.