Dak Prescott

At 30 years old, Dak Prescott has this physical status:

Dakota "Dak" Prescott (born July 29, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).

In the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, he played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and was selected by the Cowboys. Prescott, who was supposed to start as a backup in his rookie season, was the Cowboys' starting quarterback after starting Tony Romo was hurt in the preseason and was recognized throughout the year for his on-field play, which included assisting the team in winning the top seed in their conference.

Prescott set several rookie records and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, as well as a Pro Bowl pick.

Early years

Dak was the youngest of Peggy Prescott's three children. Prescott attended Haughton High School in Haughton, Louisiana, where he played football for the Buccaneers while she was a boss of a truck stop. He had 159-of-258 passes for 2,860 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior. He was also responsible for 951 yards on 90 attempts for 17 touchdowns, and helped Haughton become the 2010 District 1-AAAA Champions. Peggy died of colon cancer on November 3, 2013. Dak received a scholarship from Mississippi State over the competition from Louisiana Tech, LSU, Memphis, Nicholls State, North Texas, and TCU.

Personal life

Prescott is a Christian. He is the son of Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott. Tad and Jace, older sister Natalie Prescott-Smith, and Elliott Prescott, his older half-brother, were all younger brothers, as a result of his father's previous marriage. Jace was a Northwestern State offensive lineman. In November 2013, his mother died of colon cancer. In her honor, Dak Prescott's Faith Fight Finish Foundation was established, assisting people in dealing with adversity. In April 2020, Jace, his older brother, committed suicide. His father is an African American, and his late mother is a European American. Prescott currently lives in Frisco, Texas.

Source

College career

In 2011, Prescott was officially recruited as a true freshman with Mississippi State. He appeared in 12 games as a back-up to Tyler Russell in 2012, completing 18 of 29 passes for 194 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. With 110 yards on 32 attempts, he also scored four touchdowns.

Prescott was the backup to Russell for the 2013 season, but he was forced to start as the starter after Russell suffered a concussion. He appeared in 11 games, totaling 156 of 267 passes for 1,940 yards with ten touchdowns and seven interceptions. With 13 touchdowns, he went for 829 yards on 134 passes. After leading the Bulldogs to a 44-7 victory over the Rice Owls, he was the MVP of the 2013 Liberty Bowl. His 2013 season record was seventh in passing yards (1,940), tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (13) and fourth in total yards (2,769) and total touchdowns (23). He was named to the 2013 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll after the season.

Prescott led the Bulldogs to a 10–2 regular season record, their first top ranking in program history, and to the Orange Bowl in his first season as a full starter in 2014. Prescott held 10 school records, including: single season passing yards (3,449), total offense (4,435), passing touchdowns (27), and total touchdowns (41). In addition, his 14 rushing touchdowns are tied for the fourth in school history. Prescott has also been recognized many times during and after the season. He was named Manning Award Player of the Week five times (at LSU, vs. Auburn, vs. Vanderbilt); the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Week twice (at LSU); and the 24/7 Sports National Offensive Player of the Week (at LSU); and the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (at LSU). He was named a 2014 Honorable Mention All-American by Sip.com; named to the 2014 All-SEC squad by the AP, Coaches, and ESPN.com; and on the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. He received the Conerly Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award, and the Manning Award. He also placed eighth in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting and received two first-place votes.

He was named as a 2015 National Player of the Year candidate by the time, and by the media, he was selected to two Preseason All-SEC teams (Athlon Sports and Phil Steele) and was named first-team Preseason All-SEC. He became the fourth player in FBS history to rush for 40 touchdowns in a career during the 2015 season, joining Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, Tim Tebow of Florida, and Colin Kaepernick of Nevada. He comes in third in all-time rushing yards by a quarterback in SEC history behind Tebow and Matt Jones of Arkansas. With 107 total touchdowns (passing, rushing, and receiving), he ranks fourth in SEC history, with ten touchdowns (rushing and receiving) and fifth in total yards (rushing and passing) with 11,153. His streak of 288 straight passes without an interceptor is the longest in SEC history and the third longest in SEC history. He set a school record for touchdowns rushing in the Bulldogs' 2015 game against Arkansas, tied the SEC single game record for touchdowns rushing with seven (five passing two rushing) and set a new school record for touchdown passes in a single game. The AutoNation National Offensive Player of the Week, the Davey O'Brien Award National Quarterback of the Week, and the SEC offensive player of the week were voted by the Football Writers Association of America, a Manning Award Winner of the Week, and a Manning Award Winner of the Week by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and a SEC offensive player of the Week following his play in the Bulldogs' victory over Kentucky, in which he passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns The six touchdowns in a single game tied the school record set by Jackie Parker in 1952, and Prescott became the first student in school history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game. This was his fourth appearance in the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award, the most in program history. Prescott received further national attention by being named on numerous national award watch lists, including the winner of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the O'Brien Trophy, and the Senior Bowl, as well as being named on the 2017 NCAA Today Top 10 Award. He finished with 3,793 yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and ten rushing touchdowns.

Prescott finished third in total yards and fourth in total touchdowns for his career. He has 38 school records.

Professional career

The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2016 NFL Draft with the intention of acquiring a young quarterback to develop behind Tony Romo. Prescott was chosen in the fourth round after struggling to select Paxton Lynch and Connor Cook. He had been linked to a four-year contract.

Since rookie wide receiver Devin Street wore his college number 15, Prescott was assigned #10 for his rookie mini camp. He opted to rank #4 in honor of his mother, whose birthday is September 4. He was the first Dallas Cowboys quarterback to wear ###.

Since the Cowboys were unable to find an agreement with the Cleveland Browns with backup Josh McCown, the rookie jumped on the depth chart.

Prescott started playing with second-year quarterback Jameill Showers for the backup job to veteran starter Tony Romo after Moore's injury. Many reports from the August training camp indicated that Showers overperformed Prescott, resulting in increased accuracy and a quicker release. However, the Cowboys' coaching staff made the decision to launch Prescott in the team's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Prescott completed ten of 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns in one half of action, but Dallas will forfeit the game 28-24. Prescott's hot streak lasted through the rest of the season, wowing everyone with his veteran-like pocket poise and decision making.

Prescott was named the Cowboys starter for the first quarter of the 2016 season after starting quarterback Tony Romo sustained a vertebral compression fracture in the first quarter of the Seattle Seahawks' Week 3 preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, and given Romo's estimated 8-10 week recovery time, the Cowboys' Week 3 preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Prescott's first regular-season game against the New York Giants on September 11, his fourth rookie quarterback to open the season as a starter, and the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Cowboys since Quincy Carter in 2001. As the Cowboys lost 20-19, he passed for 227 yards. Prescott led the Cowboys to victory, 27–23, despite 292 passing yards and a rushing touchdown in Week 2 against the Washington Redskins. During the Cowboys' Week 3 match against the Chicago Bears, Prescott threw his first NFL touchdown, a 17-yarder to wide receiver Dez Bryant. He threw for 248 yards, one touchdown, and also had a rushing score. The Cowboys defeated the Packers 31–17. Prescott passed for two touchdowns and 245 yards as the Cowboys defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-17 in Week 4 in Week 4. Prescott rushed for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 while running for a touchdown in a 28-14 Cowboys victory. Prescott had three touchdowns and 247 passing yards as the Cowboys defeated the Green Bay Packers in Week 6 and 16. Prescott's interception-free streak came to an end in this game. In Week 8, the Cowboys faced the Philadelphia Eagles and fellow rookie quarterback Carson Wentz for their first matchup in his career. Prescott was able to score three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) on 287 passing yards in overtime 29–23.

The Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns 35–10 in Week 9, with Prescott throwing 247 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-30 in Week 10, with Prescott passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns. One of the touchdowns was a 83-yarder to Ezekiel Elliott, who was then on the move. The Cowboys extended their winning streak in Week 11 by defeating the Baltimore Ravens 27-17 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. In their second divisional matchup, Week 12's annual Thanksgiving game defeated the Washington Redskins by 31–26. Prescott had two touchdowns (one rushing and one passing) and 195 passing yards. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Month in November thanks to his outstanding results in November.

The Cowboys defeated the Minnesota Vikings 17-15 in Week 13, with Prescott passing for 139 yards and one touchdown. The Cowboys suffered their second loss on the season this season, defeating division rival New York Giants, with Prescott passing for 169 yards and one touchdown in Week 14. The Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-20 in Week 15, with Prescott throwing 279 passing yards and one rushing touchdown. In Week 16, the Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions 42–21. Prescott went for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys made the decision to sit several starters in Week 17 of the regular season, with the top playoff seed in the NFC clinched. Prescott only attempted eight passes for a total of 37 yards before being suspended, but they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 27–13. Prescott's rookie year saw him throw 3,667 passing yards, 282 total touchdowns, and just four interceptions, with his 67.8% completion rate ranking fifth among NFL quarterbacks in 2016.

The Cowboys clinched the NFC East title with a 13–3 record on the season. The Cowboys met the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the Divisional Round. Prescott finished 24 of 38 for 322 yards, with a quarterback rating of 102.33, three touchdowns, and an intercept. Despite his good showing, the Cowboys lost 34–31, snapping their season. Prescott was selected to the Pro Bowl and named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in a record-breaking performance, beating out running back and teammate Ezekiel Elliott by 7 votes. In MVP voting, he came in sixth. He was ranked 14th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, making him the second Cowboys quarterback to receive this award after joining Troy Aikman in 1989.

In the 193 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, Prescott began his second season with 268 passing yards and a touchdown. He continued his bad run of the season with a 42-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, where he was 30-of-50 for 238 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. In the primetime 28-19 victory over 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. In Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, he was 20-of-36 for 252 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception. In the 35-31 loss, he had similar success in his next game against the Green Bay Packers, going 25-of-36 for 251 passing yards, three touchdowns, one running touchdown, one intercept, and one interception. In the next game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys snapped their slim losing streak, defeating them 40-10. Prescott was playing in his third game in a row with three touchdown passes. Prescott and the Cowboys won by two victories over San Francisco, putting the team at 5-3 record.

The Cowboys learned that they would be without running back Ezekiel Elliott for a six-game suspension going into next game against the Atlanta Falcons, adding to the heat on the offense. Prescott was 20-of-30 for 176 yards and had a rushing touchdown in the game against the Falcons, but the Cowboys were dismissed 8 times. In the 37–9 loss, he went 18-of-31 for 145 yards and three interceptions. In the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys' offensive struggles continued. Prescott tallied 179 passing yards and two interceptions, putting the Cowboys down 28–6. Despite the setbacks, the Cowboys remained alive in playoff contention, defeating the Washington Redskins 38–14, where Prescott threw for two touchdowns. He was 20-of-30 for a season-high 332 yards and three passing touchdowns, including an 81-yarder to Rod Smith in the 30–10 win. Prescott had a rushing touchdown in the upcoming game as the Cowboys defeated the Oakland Raiders 20–17. In a pivotal Week 16 match against the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve, he passed 181 passing yards but lost by two interceptions, effectively removing the Cowboys from playoff contention. However, even if the Cowboys won, they would have still missed the playoffs due to the Atlanta Falcons' finishing 10–6 (thus having the tiebreaker). In Week 6, Prescott defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 6–0, finishing the season with 179 passing yards and a touchdown. Prescott's second season was his second with 3,324 passing yards, 22 interceptions, 357 rushing yards, and six rushing touchdowns.

In a 16–8 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Prescott started his third season by passing for 170 yards. With 160 passing yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants, he led the Cowboys to their first victory of the 2018 season. In a 26–24 victory over the Detroit Lions, Prescott passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns after losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. In Week 5, against the Houston Texans, he passed for 208 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. In Week 6, a 40–7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had 183 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, as well as 11 carries for 82 yards and a rushing touchdown. He was instrumental in the Cowboys' 27-20 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with 270 passing yards and a touchdown as well as nine rushing yards and a touchdown after losing to the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans. In that time, the Cowboys acquired Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders as a new receiver for Prescott. After leading the Cowboys to a 31-23 victory over the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving, he helped lead the Cowboys to a game-winning drive over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. He had 289 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and his third straight game with a rushing touchdown in the win. Cooper was a career-high 90-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys defeated the 10–1 New Orleans Saints by a score of 13–10. Prescott passed for 248 yards and one passing touchdown, as well as running for 22 yards in Week 13. Prescott was held to 222 with two interceptions in three quarters, but Cooper exploded for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading to a career-high 455 yards, a 104.9 passer rating, and a franchise-record 42 touchdowns in the 29–23 victory. The 42 completions were the most for any quarterback in a single game in the 2018 regular season. Prescott led the Indianapolis Colts back to the playoffs in Week 16 with 161 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East for the second time in three years. Prescott threw for 387 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 36–35 victory, leading the Cowboys to a 10–6 record in 2018.

The Cowboys were ranked fourth in the playoffs when they entered as the fourth seed. In the Wild Card Round, they met the Seahawks, who had been 0–2 against them at the time. He finished with 226 yards, a touchdown, and an interceptor, as well as 29 rushing yards and a crucial touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the 24–22 victory, earning his first playoff victory. The Cowboys lost 30–22 in the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams, with him passing for 266 yards and a touchdown, as well as running for three yards and a touchdown. Prescott's second Pro Bowl pick as an alternate, replacing Drew Brees, where he threw a touchdown pass to Austin Hooper for the NFC team's only points of the game when the team lost to the AFC team 7-26.

Prescott threw 25 times for 405 yards and four touchdowns in the 35–17 victory over the New York Giants in the season's opener. Prescott's game gave him a perfect passer rating, making him the first Dallas quarterback to do so since Craig Morton on October 5, 1969. For his appearance in Week 1, Prescott was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Prescott finished with 463 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Cowboys lost 24–34 during Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers. Prescott's first pass attempt was intercepted by Antoine Bethea during Week 9 against the Giants on Monday Night Football. In the 37-36 road win, he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Prescott threw for 397 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in Week ten against the Minnesota Vikings on NBC Sunday Night Football, including one intercept. Prescott had 444 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns in the 35–27 road victory over Week 11. For his efforts, Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in 2019. Prescott threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns against the Redskins in Week 17 and rushed for 35 yards. Prescott finished the season with 4,902 passing yards, ranking second in the league, 30 touchdowns, ranked fourth, and 11 interceptions. As the Cowboys missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record, he had 52 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He was ranked 46th among his fellow athletes on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

On March 16, 2020, the Cowboys unveiled the franchise tag on Prescott, which is worth $31.4 million for the 2020 season. He agreed to the contract on June 22, 2020. Prescott threw for 266 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams on NBC Sunday Night Football, while the Cowboys lost 20-20-17. Prescott rushed for three more touchdowns and a touchdown in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, and the Cowboys defeated the Falcons 40-39. The Falcons had a twenty-point lead over the Cowboys at one point, but Prescott's four second half touchdowns aided by a good onside kick and a last-second field goal ended the game for the Cowboys. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for at least 400 yards and pass for three touchdowns in a single game. For his appearance in Week 2, Prescott was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Prescott had 472 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks on Week 3: 472 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Prescott had 502 passing yards, four touchdowns, an intercept, and a missed fumble while the Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns on Week 4 for 512 yards, four touchdowns, an interception, and a lost fumble. In three consecutive games, he became the first NFL player to pass for at least 450 yards in three consecutive games.

Prescott sustained an ankle injury in Week 5 against the New York Giants, and was carted off the field. He had 14 passes for 166 yards and an interceptor plus had a receiving touchdown before departing. It was discovered that he had suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, and he underwent surgery the same night, putting an end to his season. Prescott was placed on a season-end injured reserve on October 19, 2020.

On March 9, 2021, the Cowboys wore the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott for the second time in a row, and the Cowboys signed a four-year contract extension with the Cowboys the next day for $160 million with $126 million guaranteed. The contract included a $66 million signing bonus, the highest in NFL history. In June 2021, he left Adidas and signed a five-year contract with Jordan. Prescott threw for 403 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in his first game back from his injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. In a 35-29 overtime victory over the New England Patriots, Prescott threw for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He was named NFC Offensive Player of The Week due to his efforts. The Cowboys defeated the Washington Football Team by four touchdowns in Week 16, despite losing by five points in 56–14 blowout victory over the Washington Football Team. Prescott received another NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Football Team. In Week 18, Prescott threw for 295 yards and five touchdowns in a 51–26 victory over the Eagles, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

In the Wild Card Round, the Cowboys welcomed the San Francisco 49ers as the division champion. Prescott completed 23 of 43 passing attempts for 254 yards with one touchdown and one intercept, as well as rush for 27 yards and an additional touchdown in the 23-17 loss. Prescott ran a quarterback draw up the middle for 17 yards on the last play with 14 seconds left, but the clock was not able to stop the clock from running down. Despite the loss, Prescott was named NVP (Nickelodeon Valuable Player) with more than 80% of the online vote, becoming the second losing quarterback to do so in as many years. After the game ended, Prescott later apologized for remarks that appeared to condemn fans throwing objects at the officiating crew.

Prescott struggled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, finishing 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards and an interception before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a right thumb injury in the 19–3 loss. Prescott will miss 6-8 weeks due to the thumb injury, according to later. In Week 7 against the Detroit Lions, where he threw 207 yards and a touchdown.

Career highlights and awards

Prescott, who had 176 attempts before beginning his career without an intercept, set a new record for the most consecutive pass attempts without an interception, a record set by Tom Brady in 2000-2001. This is also the highest number of consecutive attempts without an intercept by a rookie, surpassing the record set by Carson Wentz at 134 earlier this year. Since breaking the Chad Hutchinson record of 95 set in 2002, Wentz and Prescott were exchanging the rookie record.

Prescott's rookie regular season ended with 11 games with over 100 NFL passer ratings, a new record set by Russell Wilson in 2012 of nine games. He set a new Ben Roethlisberger rookie record of winning 13 games as a starter in 2004. Robert Griffin III's rookie record of 102.40 was broken by his NFL passer rating of 104.9, which was down from his 2012 rookie record of 102.4. His 0.8 percent intercept to attempts (459–4) defeated Robert Griffin III's rookie record of 1.2 percent (393–5). Russell Wilson Jr. had 23 touchdowns and 4 interceptions for a touchdown to interception ratio of 5.75, as well as a touchdown to interceptions ratio of 19 (26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) in his rookie debut. His 66.6 percent pass completion percentage beat Ben Roethlisberger's rookie record of 66.4 percent. Prescott, who had an 88.9% completion percentage in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 18, 2016, beat the rookie single game record of 87.0% set by Mike Glennon in 2013.

Source

Career highlights and awards

In Week 6 of the 2016 season, Prescott, with 176 attempts, broke the record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception to start a career—a record previously held by Tom Brady at 162 attempts in 2000–2001. This is also the record for consecutive attempts without an interception by a rookie, having broken the record set by Carson Wentz at 134 earlier in 2016. Wentz and Prescott had been exchanging the rookie record after having broken the Chad Hutchinson record of 95 set in 2002.

Prescott finished his 2016 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. He tied the Ben Roethlisberger 2004 rookie record of winning 13 games as a starter. 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. He threw 23 touchdowns and 4 interceptions for a touchdown to interception ratio of 5.75 breaking the previous rookie record of 4.00 (20 touchdowns and 5 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). His 67.76% pass completion percentage broke the rookie record of 66.44% set by Ben Roethlisberger. 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.