Dak Prescott Makes History, Carolina Panthers May Face Historic Dilemma | 4 Downs

The Cowboys make multiple statements, T.J. Watt Dominates, the Giants find new ways to disappoint

The first full NFL Sunday slate delivered all of the typical insanity we’ve come to expect.

This time around, forget the “Witching Hour” that NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson promises is “Where losses become wins,” the biggest story from Week 1 broke hours before games kicked off around the league.

After one of the more quizzically meandering and inactive offseasons in recent memory, during which the Dallas Cowboys saw top talent depart in free agency and showed little urgency in securing a long-term deal for Dak Prescott, Jerry Jones, and Co. started Sunday by making their franchise quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Sunday morning, Prescott officially put pen-to-paper on a new four-year contract worth $240 million, becoming the league’s first $60 Million Man and emerging as the new benchmark for future quarterback deals yet to be made.

One prominent agent who represents some of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league was astonished by what Prescott was able to emerge with from these negotiations.

“Staying in Dallas and building his legacy by surpassing the market by $5 million, AND essentially having the entire contract practically guaranteed is a big win for Dak,” the agent tells me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely of a player he doesn’t represent. “But it’s also a big win for his agent and all players across the league.”

Following much handwringing about the fully guaranteed $230 million deal the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson before the 2022 season, Prescott’s guarantees come in at $231 million.

A new gold standard in quarterback deals has been set.

(Scott Galvin-Imagn Images)

When Dallas kicked off against the Browns, Prescott’s fifth passing attempt in Cleveland showed the upside the Cowboys believe is still untapped from here.

That’s when Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz sent a rare all-out blitz, and with pressure in his face, Prescott lofted a perfectly placed pass to Brandin Cooks for a 21-yard touchdown.

Prescott finished 19-for-32 passing for 179 yards with one touchdown embodying the role of facilitator in the Cowboys’ 33-17 win.

Ultimately, the verdict on this contract won’t be rendered on regular-season victories or even total passing yards. Rather, it all hinges on whether Prescott can lead the Cowboys to the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl championship.

That’s it.

That’s something Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are obviously confident Prescott is capable of, given the historic commitment they’ve made.

Prescott’s contract is also going to have reverberating consequences felt around the league. Especially because Patrick Mahomes will likely be restructuring his contract which averages to $45 million over its decade, sometime soon, and with Brock Purdy set to become one of the highest-paid quarterbacks this upcoming offseason.

Not to mention, other young quarterbacks such as C.J. Stroud in the not-so-distant future may be the eventual biggest winners of the new standard set by Prescott’s deal.

Here are key takeaways and awards from Week 1:

First Down: Tyreek Hill, Dolphins Avoid Multiple Disasters

Image via Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In a surreal scene that has become all too common across America, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was violently thrown face down on the ground and restrained by police near Hard Rock Stadium, after he was allegedly pulled over for speeding on his way to the game.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, a "verbal altercation" occurred between Hill and the police, and even though the Dolphins’ wide receiver was released after a brief time, images of police restraining a handcuffed Hill face-down on the ground quickly made the rounds on social media and across the internet.

Miami-Dade PD Director Stephanie V. Daniels announced Sunday afternoon that one of the officers involved was "placed on administrative duties while an investigation is conducted."

During the altercation, some of Hill’s teammates stopped on their way to the stadium to attempt to de-escalate the situation, including All-Pro Calais Campbell who was also handcuffed and cited for not obeying an officer’s order.

"Right now, I'm still trying to put it all together ... I still don't know what happened," Hill told reporters after the game. "But I do want to use this platform to say, 'What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' Worst-case scenario, you know? ... Everybody has bad apples in every situation, but I want to be able to use this platform to figure out a way to flip this and make it a positive on my end and Miami-Dade and do something positive for the community.

"It's hard. I don't want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do. What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what those guys would have done. I just wanted to make sure I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you're in a situation like that -- put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen."

This nation bears the scars of countless unarmed men of color whose lives ended prematurely in encounters with the police. So, it would have been easy for the Dolphins to stumble against the plucky Jacksonville Jaguars after the trauma and distraction of Hill being restrained face down by police, and Campbell and Jonnu Smith briefly being detained before the game.

"Especially for some of the guys involved -- Calais Campbell and Jonnu, they were all pretty rattled," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters (via ESPN). "I think you try to prepare a team to handle the unknown. You definitely aren't forecasting exact situations.

“A lot of things fall under the veil of adversity and the one common denominator is that there's a light at the end of the tunnel in any sort of life adversity. You're not necessarily prepared for that, but neither were our teammates that were in need. So, we just do our best."

Instead of the moment derailing the explosive playmaker, or his teammates, Hill took his game to another level.

Hill posted a game-high 130 receiving yards, including an 80-yard touchdown catch and run from Tua Tagovailoa to power Miami’s 20-17 comeback win.

“Galvanizing is the right word,” Dolphins legend O.J. McDuffie told me Sunday. “[For Tyreek] to see his teammates on the scene to come to his aid, and seeing Calais Campbell put in handcuffs shows me how much they fight for each other. It should carry them a long way.”

After shrugging off the morning’s events, the Dolphins quickly fell behind 14-0 and later trailed 17-7.

Then, in the second half, the offense came roaring to life by rattling off 13 consecutive points starting with Hill’s explosive touchdown.

“The Dolphins definitely got off to a slow start and looked like there was a lack of continuity,” McDuffie explained. “I can only imagine how distracted they were from the morning’s events.

“But, they finally got their minds right, against a tough Jacksonville team. Impressive poise to stay the course and find a way to win.”

Despite the morning’s upheaval, Hill’s determination and the Dolphins’ ability to regroup and secure a victory underscores a compelling narrative of overcoming adversity and team unity.

For a Dolphins team with a Super Bowl-caliber roster, Sunday’s events could serve as a pivotal moment that strengthens their chemistry and fuels their drive toward a championship.