Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is finally giving Dak Prescott the contract he wants. USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Is Jerry Jones hinting at big NFL news with Dak Prescott deal?

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 3/8/21

Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys agreed to a huge contract with Dak Prescott, and the deal may signify some big league news ahead.

Prescott and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $160 million deal on Monday. Prescott is guaranteed $126 million as part of the deal. His signing bonus is the highest in NFL history.

Highest signing bonus in NFL history:

Dak Prescott $66M
Russell Wilson $65M
Aaron Rodgers $57.5M
Matthew Stafford $50M
Matt Ryan $46.5M
Joe Flacco $40M
Aaron Donald $40M

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2021

Even though Prescott is a good quarterback, he is not in the same category as Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, who are other very highly paid quarterbacks. So why would the Cowboys give him that kind of money? For one, they didn’t want to lose him. But secondly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter says a league source told him they believe the Dak deal signifies a huge NFL TV contract is coming.

One league source on the Dak Prescott deal: "You know what this is? This is Jerry Jones tipping off the extraordinary TV deal that is coming."

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2021

This sounds about right. The NFL reportedly was asking for double in its renewed deal with ABC/ESPN and is said to have received a 30 percent increase. The league will likely get a big raise when its deals with CBS, NBC, Fox and DirecTV expire after the 2022 season.

More money on the NFL’s TV deals would translate to a higher salary cap and therefore more money available to pay the players. The expectation of a higher salary cap due to increased TV rights fees is the reason why Prescott had been reluctant to sign a five-year deal with the Cowboys all along.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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