Jerry Jones has 240 million more reasons to believe in QB Dak Prescott, and the Cowboys owner does

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have new contracts that could keep the star quarterback-receiver combo together with the Dallas Cowboys for at least five more years.

Next up after Prescott agreed to the NFL's richest guaranteed contract is pass rusher Micah Parsons, who will want to be the highest-paid defensive player in league history.

Prescott is the first with a $60 million-per-year average in the $240 million, four-year deal that was reached hours before the Cowboys opened the season with a 33-17 throttling of Cleveland on the road.

The contract includes a record $231 million guaranteed, not a penny of which makes owner Jerry Jones wonder if the Cowboys can keep producing playoff-caliber rosters as they begin the quest for a fourth consecutive postseason trip.

“My assessment of where we’re going to be going in the future, we’re going to be able to handle this,” Jones said. “We’re going to be able to get players around (Prescott) that give us a chance to compete for a Super Bowl. He was our best chance at getting one.”

The Cowboys haven't been past the divisional round of the NFC playoffs since the last of the franchise's five Super Bowl titles to cap the 1995 season.

Prescott's postseason swings and misses are beginning to pile up, with the most stinging defeat coming last January. The 48-32 home wild-card loss to Green Bay left the 2016 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year with a 2-5 playoff record.

The Cowboys and Prescott's representatives worked on a deal for months. It only fueled speculation that Dallas was taking time to decide whether Prescott was another Tony Romo, who put up great numbers but had a decade of failures trying to get the Cowboys deep in the playoffs before Prescott took over.

Never a thought, Jones said.

“There’s a lot of me that thinks I’d hope Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time. And that’s not just limited to the terms of this contract either,” said Jones, who turns 82 next month. “He’s a player that the team follows. That’s big.

“Roger Staubach told me when I asked him, ‘Drop back or move around quarterback?’” Jones said, recalling a conversation years ago with the Pro Football Hall of Fame QB who won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys. “He said, ‘I don’t know about any of that. Have someone that the team will follow.’ Dak’s the epitome of that.”

What's working

Parsons and his fellow defenders wrecked the game plan for Cleveland and Deshaun Watson in the first half. The Browns had 54 yards and one first down at the break. Parsons had one of six sacks and a team-high five of the Cowboys' 17 QB hits.

It was another illustration of the value of the 2021 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year not long before Parsons enters the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, just as Lamb did this year when he held out all of training camp before signing a $136 million, four-year extension.

What needs help

Prescott, Lamb and their teammates on offense did their part in building a 20-3 halftime lead, twice going on touchdown drives of at least 70 yards. But that unit bogged down after the break. The only points for the offense were two field goals on possessions that started in Cleveland territory.

Stock up

K Brandon Aubrey was 4 of 4 on field goals, starting with a 57-yarder in the first half. The second-year player is now 40 of 42 in a career that started with an NFL record 35 consecutive makes last season. Aubrey has yet to miss in 12 attempts from at least 50 yards. He had two such kicks against the Browns.

Stock down

There has been plenty of talk about diminutive second-year running back Deuce Vaughn getting more opportunities. There were plenty in the preseason again, but the regular season looks similar to 2023 as well — so far. The 5-foot-5 Vaughn had just one carry for 4 yards, and the Cowboys are a week closer to the possibility of activating Dalvin Cook. The veteran back signed near the end of training camp.

Injuries

TE Jake Ferguson sprained his left knee in the third quarter against the Browns and didn't return, but the Cowboys are hopeful he won't miss a game.

Key number

60 — KaVontae Turpin's first career return for a touchdown was a 60-yarder on a punt against Cleveland. The 5-7 speedster went two seasons without a TD return after essentially making the team when he took back a kickoff and a punt for scores in a 2022 preseason game.

Next steps

The first half of the season is heavy on road games for the defending NFC East champs, but a two-game homestand is next. New Orleans visits Sunday after blowing out Carolina at home 47-10. Lamar Jackson and Baltimore are on deck in Week 3.

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Schuyler Dixon, The Associated Press