There is a new leader in the NFL’s highest-paid-player-in-league-history clubhouse. Just hours before taking the field in Week 1, Dak Prescott inked a four-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys worth $240 million. Ladies and gentlemen… we have our first $60 million-per-year quarterback!
Prescott took advantage of considerable leverage to seal his deal. As Sunday’s kick-offs drew closer, it was being reported that negotiations would be put on ice until after the season if an agreement could not be reached. But with a no-tag clause and a no-trade clause in his old contract, Prescott would have effectively become a free agent in 2025 and could have walked to the open market.
Instead, he sits of the top of the league’s financial pile and while he is set for life; the career expectations are now only going to grow more intense. That sort of money will be expected to deliver a Super Bowl victory. But Dallas have not advanced to the NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season and Prescott has a 2-5 record in the playoffs.
Prescott will be expected to produce Patrick Mahomes-like success. Or at the very least pick up one Super Bowl within the duration of this deal. Mahomes, by the way, is now the 13th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. His $45 million per year salary is closer to Daniel Jones territory than the stratosphere being occupied by the likes of Prescott, Jordan Love, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. But that’s a story for another day!
While they will ultimately be judged by how far they advance in the playoffs in January, Dallas certainly got off to a good start with a comfortable 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
In truth, the Browns were so bad that Prescott was able to play well within himself and still emerge victorious. He threw for a tidy 179 yards (just 23 in the second half), one touchdown and no interceptions as Dallas amassed just 265 total yards. It was more than enough.
Mike Zimmer’s defense was the headline-maker in this contest, sacking Deshaun Watson six times and stealing two interceptions. It all starts up front with Micah Parsons, who had a sack and five quarterback hits. He is an electric and dynamic force who simply refuses to be blocked, consistently throwing around men who weigh 70-80 pounds more than him like they were rag dolls. But there were other contributors.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks, who played for Zimmer when he was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, recorded nine tackles, two sacks and one interception. DeMarcus Lawrence chipped in with two sacks and Trevon Diggs recorded his first interception since Week 1 of last season after missing much of the 2023 campaign with a knee injury.
This ended up being a walk in the park for the Cowboys and their newly-minted quarterback. But tougher challenges lie ahead down the road and I’m not getting overly-excited about what could be another false dawn.
Dallas did their job very efficiently, but I’m not sure their team is stronger than the one that lost in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Only time will tell on that front but no matter what happens for the rest of this season, Prescott is going to be in the spotlight and he is going to be expected to deliver the goods. There can be no room for excuses when you’re making the kind of money that he is.
Who’s Hot…
Joe Mixon… The Houston Texans must be feeling pretty good about life this morning as they wake following their 29-27 road win over the Indianapolis Colts. That victory alone would have been a major positive as C.J. Stroud out-lasted a fellow 22-year-old quarterback in Anthony Richardson (sign me up to watch them two go head-to-head over the next decade, by the way). But it’s always rewarding when new additions to a team make an immediate impact. That was Joe Mixon on Sunday as he proved there is considerable tread left on his NFL tyres by rushing 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown. It was fitting that this game was ended by a Mixon run for a first down. The Colts had no answer for the Pro Bowl back. It must have been an even sweeter victory when you add in the two touchdowns scored by Stefon Diggs on his Houston debut. The Texans have some defensive concerns coming out of Week 1, but it’s clear that they are going to field one of the most vibrant attacks in the league.
Saquon Barkley… There has been a lot of offseason excitement about the impact that Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley could have on the Philadelphia Eagles’ attack in 2024. We got an early glimpse into how impactful his free agent signing might be during Friday’s 34-29 victory over Green Bay in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Barkley rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns. And he needed to be on top form because Philadelphia’s defense was still pretty shaky and Jalen Hurts blew hot and cold at quarterback. Hurts threw 15 interceptions in 2023 and he opened this campaign with two picks and a lost fumble. When things get sketchy in other areas, it’s great to have a running back who can take control of the game. That’s what Barkley can do for these Eagles as they look to tidy up other elements of their team moving forward.
T.J. Watt… We so often judge defensive players, especially edge rushers, by the number of sacks they record. If that were the lone basis for assessing a defender, T.J. Watt would have had an okay game with one sack as his Pittsburgh Steelers recorded an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. But there are many ways to take over a game like Watt did on Sunday evening. The only man to lead the NFL in sacks in three separate seasons also registered four tackles – two for losses – three quarterback hits and one fumble recovery. He was a constant pain in Kirk Cousins’ side and he forced Atlanta’s biggest offseason acquisition into a miserable day in which he threw for just 155 yards and two interceptions. Watt is another of those elite edge rushers who plays with a tenacity that means he simply refuses to be blocked. He was the primary reason that Pittsburgh won this contest without scoring a single touchdown.
Who’s Not…
Deshaun Watson… Over the past few years, the jury has very much been out when it comes to deciding if Deshaun Watson can ever recapture the glorious form he showed during his prime years with the Houston Texans. Since starring for that team in 2020, Watson has been embroiled in more than two dozen sexual misconduct cases, settling out of court with 20 women. He missed all of the 2021 campaign and served an 11-game, NFL-imposed ban in 2022. In 2023, he played just six games before suffering a serious shoulder injury. I believe Watson is in permanent decline. I don’t think he’s got it anymore. I don’t believe he sees the field well and he is half a tick late on most of his throws. Now, pressure can make most quarterbacks look bad and Watson was sacked six times against Dallas. But I’ve seen this kind of poor showing from him before and the Browns must certainly be regretting signing him to a fully-guaranteed deal worth $230 million in 2022. It’s starting to look like one of the worst contracts in NFL history from a team point of view. I’ll be watching closely for a Watson bounce-back, but I don’t think there will be one. And I don’t think his teammates in the locker room will rally around him. That could spell major trouble for the Browns this season.
Daniel Jones… If Sunday’s 28-6 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings is an accurate indicator of what is to come in the near future, I think we could be witnessing the final days with Daniel Jones as the starting quarterback of the New York Giants. The team has not exactly been all-in on Jones and performances like Sunday’s, in which he threw for just 186 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions are not going to help his cause. We could point to the continued pressure as a reason for his struggles – Jones was sacked five times on Sunday – but that would be nothing more than an excuse. He has just not been good enough for the Giants and pressure had nothing to do with the miserable pick six he threw to Andrew Van Ginkel. It might take a few weeks, but Drew Lock could be in the line-up by October.
Caleb Williams… The Chicago Bears got the win on Sunday and, ultimately, that is all that matters. But their highly-touted rookie quarterback needed all the help he could get as Chicago came from 17-0 down to record a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans. This was not the stat line that Williams would have dreamed of the night before the game – 14 of 29 for 93 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. There were brief glimpses of how special Williams could become, but he also missed some easy throws that could have resulted in touchdowns or big gains. After preseason comparisons to Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, our brakes have been well and truly pumped and it seems a patient approach will need to be adopted in the Windy City. Williams and the Bears will figure it out and I still believe he will be a special player and an NFL star. It was just not quite the start we – or he – would have expected.
The Fast Five…
- Two quarterbacks who were thought to be washed up not that long ago had very nice days in Week 1. Sam Darnold hit on 19 of 24 for 208 yards and two touchdowns for Minnesota. Baker Mayfield was less of a surprise as he completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns as Tampa Bay beat Washington. Baker simply picked up where he left off in 2023 when he had a career year for the Bucs. His redemption story is shaping up to be something quite special.
- Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill endured a roller-coaster day filled with trauma and then, ultimately, glory. Hill was detained by police for a traffic violation just one block from the stadium as he was driving to the game. Things quickly escalated, the star receiver was placed in handcuffs and pinned face-down on the road before eventually being allowed to proceed to the game. Hill then scored on an 80-yard catch and run to help Miami to a 20-17 win over Jacksonville. With the Miami Police Department now launching an internal investigation, we’ve not heard the last of this story. But credit to Hill for staying focused enough to play at a high level just hours later.
- Head coach Dan Campbell told me over the summer that his Detroit Lions were going to need to take everyone’s best shot this season. The Lions are playing with a target on their backs after reaching the NFC title game in 2023. That was the case on Sunday Night Football as the Los Angeles Rams came to town. It was a physical game, but Detroit emerged as 26-20 winners in overtime, highlighting exactly the kind of fight and spirit that Campbell suggests they will need all season long.
- I felt that one of the easiest games to predict heading into Week 1 was going to be the Buffalo Bills at home against the Arizona Cardinals. This proves emphatically why predicting who is going to win each week in the NFL is risky business. Arizona came out red hot and led 17-3 on the road. The Bills eventually won the game 34-28 and the manner in which they came back will surprise no one. Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns and threw a pair of scoring strikes. He led the NFL with 44 total touchdowns in 2023 and already has four after the first week of the season.
- The Green Bay Packers almost lost more than a football game in Brazil on Friday night – they could easily have lost quarterback Jordan Love for the entire season. The young passer who was red hot in the second half of 2023 hurt his knee late in the loss to Philly and there were fears it could have been a torn ACL. Instead, it’s a meniscus injury that could see Love sidelined for three to four weeks. The Packers now have to ride out a potential rough spell with Malik Willis at the helm, but there will still be plenty of time for Love to return and impact this season.
Fact of the Week
With the Monday Night Football game still to come, there were 158 dynamic kick-offs in Week 1 and one onside kick from the Washington Commanders. 101 kick-offs resulted in touchbacks (64%), there were 54 returns (34%) and three kicks that either went out of bounds or short of the landing zone.
Finish That Sentence
Each week in this spot I ask readers - via X - to randomly send me the start of a sentence and, as we so often did on our NFL Live stage show tours, I will finish the sentence with the first thought that comes into my head. Here we go…
From Leon Jones (@LJones0206) The team that can stop the Chiefs Threepeat is… out there somewhere! I think the AFC race is going to be fiercely competitive and I would not bet against Kansas City taking on the Baltimore Ravens again come playoff time. The Houston Texans would also give both clubs a real run for their money, I believe. While the AFC will be tough and the San Francisco 49ers will want to seek Super Bowl revenge on KC from the NFC side, I do expect the Chiefs to be in the mix come the end of the year. Their offense looked spicy with Xavier Worthy added to Patrick Mahomes’ aerial targets. And it’s time we spoke more about this defense – it genuinely has grown to become one of the very best in the league under the leadership of Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs look like a complete team and one capable of having a good go at making NFL history this year. But they’re not going to walk the AFC as many might expect – they were a toe away from either losing that game or heading to overtime on Thursday night.
From Tony Young (@Tony_Young78) This Dolphins win over the Jags was far more important than the blowout over the Broncos last year because… Miami had to dig deep, fight hard and play some serious defense. Jacksonville led 17-7 when it looked like Travis Etienne Jr. was about to go into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the day. At that time, Jacksonville’s win percentage chances were north of 90. It would have likely put the game out of reach for the Dolphins. But Jevon Holland punched the ball out near the goal line and fellow defensive back Kader Kohou recovered in the end zone for a touchback. Miami then scored on Hill’s 80-yard catch and the game was back on. The Dolphins were not prolific on offense on Sunday, but they showed some of the substance that was missing in tough contests in 2023. Miami recorded three sacks in the game and held Jacksonville without a point in the second half. That was much-needed and escaping with a narrow win at home will give Mike McDaniel great pleasure – but also more than enough teaching points to show where his team will need to improve.
From Alex Folwell (@alex_folwell) The biggest shock of Week 1 was… the Atlanta Falcons scoring just 10 points and one offensive touchdown at home. I know they were facing the Pittsburgh Steelers and the aforementioned T.J. Watt, but I still thought the Falcons would come out with more firepower. Kirk Cousins particularly struggled after the break and the pressure being placed upon him certainly resulted in his two interceptions. He should have taken sacks on both occasions and not attempted to force the ball downfield. I’m not expecting a panic turn to rookie first-rounder Michael Penix Jr. any time soon, but that is always going to be bubbling away in the background when Kirk doesn’t perform as we would expect or how Falcons fans would like. I think Atlanta will figure it out and be competitive moving forward – one game does not make a season. But it was a very disappointing beginning, that’s for sure.
Final Thought…
It was not one of the flashiest performances of the weekend, but what a moment for new head coach and New England lifer Jerod Mayo as he led his Patriots to a hard-fought 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. These are the kind of gritty victories that Mayo is going to need to dig out because he does not have the most talented roster in the NFL. Far from it. But after 24 years of Bill Belichick, New England kicked off a new era with a victory and it was a surprise one at that. Or should it have been a surprise? For some reason, the Cincinnati Bengals have become notorious slow starters and superstar quarterback Joe Burrow has now dropped his opening day record in the NFL to 1-4.