Dak Prescott

Rayne Dakota Prescott was born in Sulphur, Louisiana on July 29, 1993. He is the youngest of Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott's three children. While she worked as a manager of a truck stop, Prescott attended Haughton High School in Haughton, Louisiana, where he played football for the Buccaneers.^[3] As a senior, Prescott completed 159 of 258 passes for 2,860 yards and 39 touchdowns. He also rushed for 951 yards on 90 attempts with 17 touchdowns, and led Haughton to become 2010 District 1-AAAA Champions.^[4] A three-star recruit, Prescott accepted a scholarship from Mississippi State over offers from Louisiana Tech, LSU, Memphis, Nicholls State, North Texas, and TCU.^[5]

Prescott was redshirted as a true freshman with Mississippi State in 2011. As a backup to Tyler Russell in 2012, he played in 12 games, completing 18 of 29 passes for 194 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Prescott also scored four rushing touchdowns, with 110 yards on 32 carries.^[6]

Prescott began as the backup to Russell again in the 2013 season, but took over as the starter when Russell suffered a concussion. Prescott played in 11 games, completing 156 of 267 passes for 1,940 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also ran for 829 yards and 13 touchdowns on 134 carries with 13 touchdowns.^[7] Prescott was the MVP of the 2013 Liberty Bowl after leading the Bulldogs to a 44–7 victory over the Rice Owls.^[8] His 2013 season performance ranks seventh in passing yards (1,940), tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (13), and fourth in total yards (2,769) and total touchdowns (23). Following the season, Prescott was named to the 2013 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Fall Academic Honor Roll.^[9]

In his first season as a full-time starter in 2014, Prescott led the Bulldogs to a 10–2 regular season record, its first #1 ranking in program history, and led them to the Orange Bowl.^[10] During the 2014 season, Prescott broke 10 school records including: single season passing yards (3,449), total yards of total offense (4,435), passing touchdowns (27), and total touchdowns (41).^[11] Additionally, his 14 rushing touchdowns is tied for fourth in school history. Prescott also garnered several accolades throughout and following the season. He was named the Manning Award Player of the Week five times (vs. UAB, at LSU, vs. Texas A&M, vs. Auburn, vs. Vanderbilt); the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Week thrice (at LSU, vs. Auburn, vs. Vanderbilt); the Athlon Sports, Davey O'Brien, Maxwell Award Player of the Week twice each (at LSU, vs. A&M); and the 24/7 Sports National Offensive Player of Week (at LSU). Prescott was named a 2014 Honorable Mention All-American by SI.com; named to the 2014 First-team All-SEC team by the AP, Coaches, and ESPN.com; and on the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. He won the Conerly Trophy and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award, and the Manning Award. Prescott also finished eighth in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting and received two first-place votes.^[9][12]

Prior to the 2015 season, Prescott was named a 2015 National Player of the Year Candidate, was selected to two Preseason All-American teams (Athlon Sports and Phil Steele), and was chosen First-team Preseason All-SEC by the media.^[13] During the 2015 season, Prescott became the fourth player in FBS history to pass for 60 touchdowns and rush for 40 touchdowns in a career, joining Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, Tim Tebow of Florida, and Colin Kaepernick of Nevada.^[14] His 2,411 rushing yards places him third in all-time rushing yards by a quarterback in SEC history behind Tebow and Matt Jones of Arkansas.^[15] Prescott ranks fourth in SEC history with 107 total touchdowns responsible for (passing, rushing, and receiving)^[16] and fifth in total yards (rushing and passing) with 11,153.^[17] His streak of 288 consecutive pass attempts without an interception is the longest in school history and third-longest in SEC history.^[18] In the Bulldogs' 2015 game against the Arkansas, Prescott set the school single game record and tied the SEC single game record for touchdowns responsible for with seven (five passing two rushing) and set a new school record for touchdown passes in a single game.^[15] He was named the AutoNation National Offensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America, the Davey O'Brien Award National Quarterback of the Week, a Manning Award Star of the Week by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and the SEC offensive player of the week following his performance in the Bulldogs' victory over Kentucky, a game in which Prescott passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns. The six touchdowns in a single contest tied the school record set by Jackie Parker in 1952 and Prescott became the first player in school history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game. This was the fourth time that he has been named SEC Offensive Player of the Week, the most in program history.^[19][20] Prescott received further national recognition by being placed on several national award watch lists including being named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, a semifinalist for both the Maxwell Award and the Davey O'Brien Award, placed on the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Manning Award, the Wuerffel Trophy, and the Senior Bowl, and won the Senior CLASS Award as well as being awarded the 2017 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award.^{[21][22][23][24]} For the season, Prescott passed for 3,793 yards, 29 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns.^[25]

For his career, Prescott finished third in SEC history in total yards,^[26] and fourth in total touchdowns.^[27] He holds 38 school records.^[14][28]

Season	Team	GP	Passing								Rushing				Receiving
			Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
2011	Mississippi State	0	Redshirt
2012	Mississippi State	12	18	29	62.1	194	6.7	4	0	163.8	32	118	3.7	4	0	0	0.0	0
2013	Mississippi State	11	156	267	58.4	1,940	7.3	10	7	126.6	134	829	6.2	13	2	53	26.5	2
2014	Mississippi State	13	244	396	61.6	3,449	8.7	27	11	151.7	210	986	4.7	14	2	35	17.5	1
2015	Mississippi State	13	316	477	66.2	3,793	8.0	29	5	151.0	160	588	3.7	10	0	0	0.0	0
Career		49	734	1,169	62.8	9,376	8.0	70	23	146.0	536	2,521	4.0	41	4	88	22.0	3

• Single game record for passing yards in the Orange Bowl (453)^[29]
• Single game record for passing attempts in the Orange Bowl (51, tied)
• Single game record for passing completions in the Orange Bowl (33, tied)
• Single game record for passing yards in the Belk Bowl (380)^[30]
• Single game record for total yards in the Belk Bowl (427)
• Single game record for touchdown passes in the Belk Bowl with (4, tied)
• 2016 Senior Bowl Most Outstanding Player^[31]
• 2015 Senior Class Award^[32]
• 2014 and 2015 Conerly Trophy^[33][34]
• 2015 Belk Bowl MVP^[35]
• 2013, 2014, and 2015 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll^[36][37][38]
• 2015 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (at Arkansas and vs. Kentucky)^[39][40]
• 2014 and 2015 First-team All-SEC (AP and Coaches)
• 2014 SEC Offensive Player of Week (at LSU, vs. Auburn, and vs. Vanderbilt)
• 2013 Liberty Bowl MVP^[41]

^[42][43]

The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2016 NFL draft with a plan to acquire a young quarterback to develop behind Tony Romo. After failing to trade up to select Paxton Lynch and Connor Cook,^[47] they selected Prescott in the fourth round (135th overall).^[48] He was signed to a four-year deal.^[49]

When Prescott joined the Cowboys for their rookie mini camp, he was issued #10 since wide receiver Devin Street wore his college number 15. During the first week of rookie mini camp, Prescott decided to switch to #4 in honor of his late mother, whose birthday was on September 4.^[50] Prescott is the first Cowboys quarterback to wear #4.^[51]

Prescott moved up on the depth chart when backup quarterback Kellen Moore broke his right tibia during the first week of training camp and after the Cowboys could not reach an agreement with the Cleveland Browns to trade for backup Josh McCown.^[52]

After Moore's injury, Prescott competed with second-year quarterback Jameill Showers for the backup job to established starter Tony Romo. Several reports from August training camp indicated that Showers outperformed Prescott, showing greater accuracy and a quicker release.^[53] However, the Cowboys coaching staff made the decision to start Prescott in the team's preseason opener at the Los Angeles Rams. Working with the Cowboys' first-team offense, Prescott completed 10-of-12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns in one half of action, though Dallas lost 28–24.^[54] Prescott continued his hot streak throughout the rest of the preseason, impressing all with his veteran-like pocket poise and decision making.^[55]

After starting quarterback Tony Romo suffered a vertebral compression fracture during the first quarter of the third preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, and in light of Romo's projected 8–10 week recovery time,^[56] Prescott was named the Cowboys starter for the beginning of the 2016 season.^[57]

Prescott's first regular-season start came in the season-opener at home against the New York Giants, becoming the fourth rookie quarterback to open the season as a starter in franchise history, and the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Cowboys since Quincy Carter in 2001.^[58] Prescott finished the narrow 20–19 loss with 227 passing yards.^[59] In the next game against the Washington Redskins, he recorded 292 passing yards and his first NFL touchdown on a six-yard rush during a 27–23 road victory.^[60] The following week against the Chicago Bears, Prescott threw for 248 yards and his first NFL touchdown, a 17-yarder to wide receiver Dez Bryant, while also rushing for 36 yards and a touchdown in the 31–17 victory.^[61][62] During a Week 4 24–17 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Prescott had 245 passing yards for two touchdowns.^[63] In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw for 227 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for four yards and a touchdown during a 28–14 victory.^[64] The following week against the Green Bay Packers, Prescott's interception-free streak ended as he had 247 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Cowboys won on the road by a score of 30–16.^[65] After a Week 7 bye, the Cowboys faced the Philadelphia Eagles at home in Week 8, and fellow rookie quarterback Carson Wentz for their first career matchup. The Cowboys prevailed in overtime 29–23, with Prescott recording 287 passing yards for two touchdowns and an interception to go along with 38 rushing yards and a touchdown.^[66]

During a Week 9 35–10 road victory over the Cleveland Browns, Prescott threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns.^[67] In the next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cowboys won on the road 35–30, with Prescott passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns. One of the touchdowns was a then-career-high 83-yarder to Ezekiel Elliott.^[68][69] The Cowboys continued their winning streak in Week 11 by beating the Baltimore Ravens 27–17 with Prescott throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns.^[70] During the Week 12 annual Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Redskins, he had 195 passing yards and had two touchdowns (one rushing and one passing) in the 31–26 victory.^[71] Prescott was named Offensive Rookie of the Month in November after recording 1,062 passing yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 75 rushing yards and a touchdown.^[72]

During a narrow Week 13 17–15 road victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Prescott threw for 139 yards and a touchdown.^[73] In the next game against the Giants, the Cowboys suffered their second loss of the season, with Prescott passing for 169 yards and a touchdown during the 10–7 road loss.^[74] The following week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 279 passing yards and rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won by a score of 26–20.^[75] During a Week 16 42–21 victory over the Detroit Lions, Prescott recorded 212 passing yards for three touchdowns.^[76] In the regular-season finale against the Eagles, with the top playoff seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) clinched, the Cowboys decided to rest several starters. Prescott only attempted eight passes for 37 yards before being benched in the second quarter of the 27–13 road loss.^[77]

Prescott finished his rookie season with 3,667 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions to go along with 57 carries for 282 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games and starts.^[78] His 67.8% completion percentage ranked fourth among NFL quarterbacks in 2016.^[79]

The Cowboys finished the 2016 season atop the NFC East with a 13–3 record.^[80] In the Divisional Round against the Packers, Prescott completed 24-of-38 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception for a 103.2 quarterback rating while also rushing for 13 yards and a two-point conversion, but the Cowboys lost 34–31 despite his strong performance.^[81] After a spectacular rookie season, Prescott was selected to the Pro Bowl and named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, receiving 28 of 50 votes, beating out running back and teammate Ezekiel Elliott by seven votes.^[82] Prescott finished sixth in MVP voting^[83] and was ranked 14th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.^[84] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, becoming the second Cowboys quarterback to receive this award, joining Troy Aikman in 1989.^[85]

Prescott started his second professional season with 268 passing yards and a touchdown in the season-opening 19–3 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.^[86] He followed that up with his first setback of the season with a 42–17 road loss to the Denver Broncos in the next game, where Prescott completed 30-of-50 passes for 238 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.^[87] The following week against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, he bounced back with 183 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and his first rushing touchdown of the season during the 28–17 road victory.^[88] During a Week 4 35–30 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Prescott threw for 252 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.^[89] In the next game against the Green Bay Packers, he had 251 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception to go along with 37 rushing yards and a touchdown during the 35–31 loss.^[90] Following a Week 6 bye, the Cowboys went on the road to face the San Francisco 49ers. During the 40–10 road victory, Prescott threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 26 yards and a touchdown, marking his third consecutive game with three touchdown passes.^[91] Prescott and the Cowboys followed up the big win over San Francisco with two victories over the Washington Redskins (33–19) and Kansas City Chiefs (28–17) to put the team at a 5–3 record.^[92][93]

Going into the Week 10 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the Cowboys learned that they would be without running back Ezekiel Elliott for a six-game suspension, putting more pressure on Prescott for the success of the offense.^[94] During the game against the Falcons, Prescott threw for 176 yards and had 42 rushing yards and a touchdown, but was sacked eight times as the Cowboys lost on the road by a score of 27–7.^[95] In the next game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, he completed 18-of-31 passes for 145 yards and three interceptions during the 37–9 loss.^[96] The Cowboys' struggles on offense continued the following week against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thanksgiving Day as Prescott had 179 passing yards and two interceptions during the 28–6 loss.^[97] Despite the setbacks, the Cowboys remained alive in playoff contention and responded with a 38–14 victory over the Redskins in Week 13, where Prescott threw for 102 yards and two touchdowns.^[98] In the next game against the Giants, he was 20-of-30 for a season-high 332 yards and three passing touchdowns, including an 81-yarder to Rod Smith, during the 30–10 road victory.^[99][100] The following week against the Oakland Raiders, Prescott had 212 passing yards and two interceptions to go along with 32 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won on the road by a score of 20–17.^[101] During a pivotal Week 16 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve, he recorded 181 passing yards but had two interceptions in the costly 21–12 loss, which eliminated the Cowboys from postseason contention. However, even if the Cowboys won out, they would have still missed the playoffs due to the Falcons finishing 10–6 (thus owning the tiebreaker).^[102] In the regular-season finale against the Eagles, Prescott threw for 179 yards and a touchdown during the 6–0 shutout road victory.^[103]

Prescott finished his second professional season with 3,324 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions to go along with 59 carries for 357 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games and starts.^[104]

Prescott started his third professional season passing for 170 yards during the season-opening 16–8 road loss to the Carolina Panthers.^[105] In the next game against the New York Giants, Prescott threw for 160 yards and a touchdown during the 20–13 victory.^[106] The following week against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 168 passing yards for a touchdown and two interceptions in the 24–13 road loss.^[107] During a narrow Week 4 26–24 victory over the Detroit Lions, Prescott threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns.^[108] In the next game against the Houston Texans on NBC Sunday Night Football, he had 208 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions during the 19–16 overtime road loss.^[109] The following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Prescott had 183 passing yards for two touchdowns to go along with 11 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown during the 40–7 victory.^[110]

After losses to the Washington Redskins (20–17) and Tennessee Titans (28–14) in Weeks 8 and 9, respectively, Prescott led the Cowboys to a 27–20 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with 270 passing yards and a touchdown to go along with nine rushing yards and a touchdown.^{[111][112][113]} In that stretch, the Cowboys acquired Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders as a new receiving target for Prescott.^[114] After leading a game-winning drive over the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 11 22–19 victory,^[115] Prescott led the Cowboys to a 31–23 victory over the Redskins on Thanksgiving Day, in which he threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 18 yards and a touchdown, marking his third consecutive game with a rushing touchdown. One of Prescott's passing touchdowns was a then-career-high 90-yard touchdown pass to Cooper.^[116][117] In the next game, Prescott passed for 248 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 22 yards as the Cowboys defeated the 10–1 New Orleans Saints by a score of 13–10.^[118] The following week against the Eagles, Prescott was held to 222 with two interceptions through three quarters, but exploded for 270 yards and three touchdowns to Cooper in the fourth quarter and overtime, ending with a then-career-high 455 yards, a 104.9 passer rating, and a franchise-record 42 completions in the 29–23 victory.^{[119][120][121]} The 42 completions were the most for any quarterback in a single game in the 2018 regular season.^[122] After a Week 15 23–0 shutout road loss to the Indianapolis Colts,^[123] Prescott rebounded with 161 passing yards and a touchdown to go along with a rushing touchdown during a Week 16 27–20 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the regular-season finale against the Giants, he threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns during the narrow 36–35 road victory, making the Cowboys finish the 2018 season atop the NFC East with a 10–6 record.^[124]

Prescott finished the 2018 season with 3,885 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and eight interceptions to go along with 75 carries for 305 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games and starts.^[125]

The Cowboys entered the playoffs as the #4-seed and faced off against the Seahawks in the Wild Card Round, which at the time, Prescott was 0–2 against them. He passed for 226 yards, a touchdown, and an interception to go along with 29 rushing yards and a crucial touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the narrow 24–22 victory to earn his first playoff win.^[126] During the Divisional Round against the eventual NFC champion Los Angeles Rams, Prescott threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and rushed for three yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys lost on the road by a score of 30–22.^[127] Prescott earned his second Pro Bowl selection as an alternate, replacing Drew Brees,^[128] where he threw a touchdown pass to Austin Hooper for the NFC side's only points of the game as the team lost to the AFC side 26–7.^[129]

During the season-opening 35–17 victory over the New York Giants, Prescott completed 25-of-32 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns with a perfect passer rating; he became the first Dallas quarterback to achieve the feat since Craig Morton on October 5, 1969.^[130] Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 1.^[131] In the next game against the Washington Redskins, Prescott completed 26-of-30 passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception, and rushed for 69 yards during the 31–21 road victory.^[132][133] Prescott became the first Dallas quarterback to compile seven touchdown passes in the first two regular season games since Don Meredith in 1966.^[132] The following week against the Miami Dolphins, Prescott completed 19-of-32 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for seven yards and a touchdown.^[134] He joined Roger Staubach's record of 20 career rushing touchdowns.^[135]

During a Week 4 12–10 road loss to the New Orleans Saints, Prescott completed 22-of-33 passes for 223 yards and an interception.^[136][137] In the next game against the Green Bay Packers, he finished with 463 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions during the 34–24 loss.^[138] The following week against the New York Jets, Prescott completed 28-of-40 passes for 277 yards and rushed for 11 yards and a touchdown in the narrow 24–22 road loss, making the Cowboys having their third consecutive loss.^[139][140] During a Week 7 37–10 victory the Philadelphia Eagles, Prescott completed 21-of-27 passes for 239 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while also rushing for 30 yards and a touchdown.^[141][142]

During a Week 9 37–18 road victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, Prescott's first pass attempt was intercepted by Antoine Bethea. Afterwards, he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns.^[143] In the next game against the Minnesota Vikings on NBC Sunday Night Football, Prescott threw for 397 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during the 28–24 loss.^[144] The following week against the Detroit Lions, he had 444 passing yards and three touchdowns to go along with 28 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 35–27 road victory.^[145] For his efforts, Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in 2019.^[146]

During a Week 12 13–9 road loss to the New England Patriots, Prescott struggled as he completed 19-of-33 passes for 212 yards and an interception.^[147][148] In the next game on Thanksgiving Day against the Buffalo Bills, Prescott completed 32-of-49 passes for 355 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception during the 26–15 loss.^[149][150] The following week against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, Prescott completed 27-of-49 passes for 334 yards and a touchdown in the 31–24 road loss.^[151]

During a Week 15 44–21 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Prescott completed 15-of-23 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys' three-game losing streak was snapped.^[152] In the next game against the Eagles, Prescott completed 25-of-44 passes for 265 yards as the Cowboys lost the NFC East title clinching game on the road by a score of 17–9.^[153] During the regular-season finale against the Redskins, Prescott threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 35 yards during the 47–16 victory.^[154]

Prescott finished the 2019 season with 4,902 passing yards (which ranked second in the league), 30 touchdowns (which ranked fourth), and 11 interceptions to go along with 52 carries for 277 yards and three touchdowns as the Cowboys missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record.^[155] Prescott was ranked 46th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.^[156]

The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Prescott on March 16, 2020, worth $31.4 million for the 2020 season.^[157] He signed the tender on June 22, 2020.^[158]

During the season-opening 20–17 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams on NBC Sunday Night Football, Prescott threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 30 yards.^[159] In the next game against the Atlanta Falcons, Prescott had 450 passing yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 18 yards and three touchdowns to help the Cowboys narrowly win by a score of 40–39. At one point during the game, the Falcons had a 20-point lead over the Cowboys, but Prescott's four second half touchdowns aided by a successful onside kick and a last-second field goal won the game for the Cowboys.^[160] He became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in the same game.^[161] Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Falcons.^[162] The following week against the Seattle Seahawks, Prescott finished with 472 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Cowboys lost on the road by a score of 38–31.^[163] During a Week 4 49–38 loss to the Cleveland Browns, he threw for a career-high 502 yards for four touchdowns and an interception while also losing a fumble.^[164] Prescott became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 450 yards in three consecutive games.^[165]

During a Week 5 37–34 victory over the New York Giants, Prescott suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter and was carted off the field.^[166] He completed 14-of-21 passes for 166 yards and an interception plus had a receiving touchdown before leaving.^[167] It was later revealed that Prescott had suffered a compound fracture and dislocation to his right ankle, and he underwent surgery the same night, prematurely ending his season.^[168] In five games, Prescott amassed 1,856 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions to go along with 18 carries for 93 yards and three touchdowns.^[169] He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on October 19, 2020.^[170]

On March 9, 2021, the Cowboys placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott for the second consecutive season,^[171] and he signed a four-year contract extension with the Cowboys the next day^[172] for $160 million with $126 million guaranteed. The deal included a $66 million signing bonus, the highest in NFL history at the time (it was surpassed in 2023 by quarterback Lamar Jackson's contract with the Baltimore Ravens).^{[173][174][175]}

In his first game back from injury during the season-opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Kickoff Game, Prescott completed 42-of-58 passes for 403 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during the narrow 31–29 loss.^[176] Two weeks later against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, he threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns in the 41–21 victory.^[177] In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, Prescott had 188 passing yards and four touchdowns during the 36–28 victory.^[178] The following week against the New York Giants, he completed 22-of-32 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Cowboys won by a score of 44–20.^[179]

During a Week 6 35–29 overtime victory over the New England Patriots, Prescott threw for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.^[180] His performance earned him NFC Offensive Player of The Week honors.^[181] Prescott missed the Week 8 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings due to a calf strain he suffered on the final play of the victory over the Patriots.^[182][183] Prescott returned from injury in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos and threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the Cowboys lost by a score of 30–16.^[184] In the next game against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 296 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with five rushing yards and a touchdown during the 43–3 blowout victory.^[185]

During a Week 12 36–33 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thanksgiving Day, Prescott threw for 375 yards and two touchdowns.^[186] During a Week 16 56–14 blowout victory over the Washington Football Team, he completed 28-of-39 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys clinched the division title.^[187] Prescott earned his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance against Washington.^[188] In the next game against the 2011 Arizona Cardinals season, Prescott had 226 passing yards and three touchdowns during the 25–22 loss.^[189] During the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, he threw for 295 yards and five touchdowns in the 51–26 road victory,^[190] earning his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.^[191] Prescott also broke Tony Romo's team record for most touchdowns thrown in a season during that game.^[192]

Prescott finished the 2021 season with 4,449 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions to go along with 48 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown in 16 games and starts.^[193]

The Cowboys finished atop the NFC East with a 12–5 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #2-seed.^[194] The Cowboys hosted the #7-seed San Francisco 49ers during the Wild Card Round. In that game, Prescott completed 23-of-43 passes for 254 yards, a touchdown, and an interception to go along with 27 rushing yards and a touchdown during the 23–17 loss. On the final play with 14 seconds left, Prescott ran a quarterback draw up the middle for 17 yards, and was unable to spike the ball to stop the clock from running down.^[195] Despite the loss, Prescott was named NVP (Nickelodeon Valuable Player) with more than 81 percent of the online vote, becoming the second losing quarterback to do so in as many years.^[196] He later apologized for comments which appeared to condone fans throwing objects at the officiating crew after the game ended.^[197] Prescott was ranked 44th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.^[198]

During the season-opening 19–3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Prescott struggled, completing 14-of-29 passes for 134 yards and an interception before leaving in the fourth quarter with a right thumb injury.^[199] Later, it was announced Prescott would miss 6–8 weeks due to his injury.^[200] Prescott returned in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions, where he threw for 207 yards and a touchdown during the 24–6 victory.^[201] In the next game against the Chicago Bears, Prescott completed 21-of-27 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown during the 49–29 victory.^[202]

Following a Week 9 bye, the Cowboys went on the road to face the Green Bay Packers. In that game, Prescott threw for 265 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Cowboys lost in overtime by a score of 31–28.^[203] In the next game against the Minnesota Vikings, he completed 22-of-25 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns during the 40–3 road victory.^[204] The following week against the New York Giants, Prescott had 261 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Cowboys won by a score of 28–20.^[205] During a Week 14 54–19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, he had 170 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.^[206] Two weeks later against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Prescott threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions, including a game-ending one that was returned for a touchdown by Rayshawn Jenkins during the 40–34 road loss.^[207] In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Prescott completed 27-of-35 passes for 347 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during the 40–34 victory.^[208]

Prescott finished the 2022 season with 2,860 passing yards, 66.2% passing completion, 23 touchdowns, and a season-high 15 interceptions in 12 games and starts.^[209][210]

During the Wild Card Round against the Buccaneers, Prescott completed 25-of-33 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown in the 31–14 road victory.^[211] In the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers, he threw for 206 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions during the 19–12 road loss.^[212] Prescott won the 2022 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year.^[213] Prescott was ranked 56th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.^[214]

During the season-opening 40–0 shutout road victory over the division rival New York Giants, Prescott threw for 143 yards. It was his 11th consecutive time beating the Giants.^[215] In the next game against the New York Jets, Prescott completed 31-of-38 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns during the 30–10 victory.^[216] The following week against the Arizona Cardinals, he had 249 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 28–16 road loss.^[217] During a Week 4 38–3 victory over the New England Patriots, Prescott completed 28-of-34 passes for 261 yards and a first-quarter touchdown to CeeDee Lamb.^[218] Facing the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the next game, Prescott was sacked thrice and completed 14-of-24 passes for 153 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions during a 42–10 road loss.^[219] The following week against the Los Angeles Chargers, he threw for 272 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won on the road by a score of 20–17. Prescott also became the 30th quarterback to throw at least one touchdown pass against 31-or-more opponents in NFL history.^[220]

After a Week 7 bye, Prescott threw 25-of-31 completions for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception as the Cowboys defeated the Los Angeles Rams 43–20 in their 11th consecutive home victory.^[221] In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns during the 28–23 road loss.^[222] The following week against the Giants, Prescott completed 26-of-35 passes for 404 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for 17 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won by a score of 49–17 for his 12th consecutive victory against them.^[223] Prescott also set a franchise record with his third game of at least 400 passing yards and four touchdown passes, and was named FedEx Air Player of Week 10.^[224] During a Week 12 45–10 victory over the Washington Commanders on Thanksgiving Day, Prescott threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns in his fifth consecutive game with at least two touchdown passes.^[225][226] Prescott also tied Tony Romo's team record of 10 games with at least four touchdown passes.^[225] Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November after passing for 1,298 yards, 13 touchdowns, and an interception with a 68.5 completion percentage.^[227]

During a Week 13 41–35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Prescott threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns.^[228] Two weeks later against the Buffalo Bills, Prescott struggled, taking three sacks and completing 21-of-34 passes for 134 yards and an interception in a 31–10 loss.^[229] In the next game against the Miami Dolphins, Prescott completed 20-of-32 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and lost a fumble during the 22–20 road loss.^[230] The following week against the Detroit Lions, Prescott completed 26-of-38 passes for 345 yards, two touchdowns (including a career-long 92-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb), and an interception during a narrow 20–19 victory. The 92-yard touchdown pass was the second-longest pass in franchise history, behind a 95-yard connection between Don Meredith and Bob Hayes in 1966.^[231]

In the regular-season finale against the Commanders, Prescott completed 31-of-36 passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception, leading the Cowboys to a 38–10 blowout road victory and clinching the NFC East.^[232] He finished the 2023 regular season with a 69.5% completion percentage, 4,516 passing yards, a league-leading 36 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a career-high passer rating of 105.9 while also rushing for 242 yards and two touchdowns.^[233][234] Prescott was named a finalist for NFL MVP and finished second in voting behind Lamar Jackson.^[235] At home against the #7-seed Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, Prescott completed 41-of-60 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns, but threw two interceptions in the first half, with one of them returned for a touchdown as the Cowboys fell into a 27–0 hole in the second quarter that they could not recover from as they lost by a score of 48–32.^[236]

• NFL Rookie of the Year (2016)^[237]
• Walter Payton Man of the Year (2022) ^[238]
• Offensive Rookie of the Month – November 2016^[239]
• Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year winner (2016)
• 5× Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week^[240]
• 3× Pro Bowl (2016, 2018, 2023)
• 2× FedEx Air Player of the Week (2018)
• 4× NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 1, 2019,^[131] Week 11, 2019,^[146] Week 2, 2020,^[241] Week 6, 2021^[242])

Prescott finished his rookie regular season with a record 11 games with an over 100 NFL passer rating, breaking the rookie record of nine games set by Russell Wilson in 2012. Prescott tied the Ben Roethlisberger 2004 rookie record of winning 13 games as a starter.^{[243][244][245]}His NFL passer rating of 104.9 broke Robert Griffin III's rookie record of 102.4 set in 2012. His 0.87% interception to attempts (459–4) broke the rookie record of 1.27% (393–5) set by Robert Griffin III.^[246][247] Prescott threw 23 touchdowns and four interceptions for a touchdown to interception ratio of 5.75 breaking the previous rookie record of 4.00 (20 touchdowns and five interceptions) set by Robert Griffin III, and for a touchdown to interception differential of 19 breaking Russell Wilson's rookie record of 16 (26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions).^[248][249] His 67.76% pass completion percentage broke the rookie record of 66.44% set by Ben Roethlisberger.^[250] In a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 18, 2016, Prescott, with an 88.9% completion percentage, broke the rookie single game record of 87.0% set by Mike Glennon in 2013.^[251][252]

• Most Completions (game): 42 (December 9, 2018, against the Philadelphia Eagles)^[253]
• Most Completions (rookie season): 311 (2016)^[254][255]
• Most Completions (game, as a rookie): 32 (December 18, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)^[256]
• Most Pass Attempts (rookie season): 459 (2016)^[257]
• Most Passing Yards (rookie season): 3,667 (2016)^[258]
• Most Passing Touchdowns (season): 37 (2021)
• Most Passing Touchdowns (rookie season): 23 (2016)
• Best Passer Rating (rookie season): 104.9 (2016)
• Best Passer Rating (game, as a rookie): 148.3 (December 16, 2016, against the Detroit Lions)
• Most Yds/Pass Att (rookie season): 7.99 (2016)
• Most Pass Yds/Game (career): 257.1^[259]
• Most Pass Yds/Game (season): 306.4 (2019)^[260]
• Most Pass Yds/Game (rookie season): 229.2 (2016)
• Most 300+ yard passing games (rookie season): 3
• Completion Percentage (career): 67.0%^[259]
• Interception Percentage: (career: minimum 16 starts): 2.0%^[259]
• Interception Percentage: (season/rookie season): 0.9% (2016)^[260]
• Most sacks taken: (season) 56 (2018)^[260]
• Most 4th Quarter Comebacks (rookie season): 5 (2016)^[260]
• Most 4th Quarter Comebacks (season): 5 (2016, tied with Tony Romo in 2012)^[260]

Prescott is a Christian.^[261] He is the son of Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott and has two older brothers, Tad and Jace, an older sister, Natalie Prescott-Smith, and an older half-brother, Elliott Prescott, from his father's previous marriage. Jace was an offensive lineman at Northwestern State.^[262] Peggy died of colon cancer in November 2013.^{[9][263][264]} The Faith Fight Finish Foundation by Dak Prescott has been established in her honor, which helps people deal with adversity.^[265] His older brother, Jace, committed suicide in April 2020.^[266][267] Prescott's father is African American and his late mother was White.^[268] Prescott currently resides in Frisco, Texas.^[269]

On November 26, 2023, Prescott's girlfriend, Sarah Jane Ramos, announced via Instagram that the couple was expecting their first child.^[270] Their daughter was born on February 29, 2024.^[271]

• Mississippi State Bulldogs football statistical leaders
• List of National Football League records (individual)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dak Prescott.

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo! Sports · Pro Football Reference
• Dallas Cowboys bio
• Mississippi State Bulldogs bio