FRISCO, Texas _ Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is not oblivious to the money being passed out in his own locker room, let alone across the league.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff inked a four-year, $134 million contract extension, including an NFL record $110 million in guaranteed money on Tuesday.
It came just hours before his teammate Ezekiel Elliott became the highest paid running back in NFL history early Wednesday morning with a six-year, $90 million deal to end his holdout and return to the Cowboys just in time for Sunday's season opener against the New York Giants.
Given that the Cowboys promised to make a new contract for Prescott the team's top priority of the offseason but have yet to consummate a deal, it would be natural for him to wonder when it was going to be his turn to cash in.
Goff and Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who got a four-year, $128 million contract extension in June, have set the market for any Prescott deal.
Add in Elliott, and the trio picked first, second and fourth in the 2016 NFL draft and have seen relatively good money in their time in the league.
Prescott is making just $2 million in the final year of his rookie contract. He might be the best bargain in sports and is the one most deserving of a raise as a former fourth-round pick in the same draft who became a franchise quarterback and has more victories than any quarterback over the last three years not named Tom Brady.
Prescott wants to get paid too, preferably before Sunday's game against the Giants.
"The season doesn't start until Sunday," Vice President Stephen Jones said with a smile. "We've still got three or four days here.
"I just can't imagine Dak doesn't know what we think of him. We're trying to put the best team around him, we want him to win Super Bowls, he's going to be the quarterback around here for many, many years to come."
On Friday, Jones told 105.3 The Fan, "We're still holding out hope that we can figure out how to come up with a deal by the game on Sunday."
Yet, true to his character and nature, Prescott is not pressed. His focus is only on Sunday's game.
"I mean, obviously I want to see it done," Prescott said. "To put a time frame on it, I think I've said this before, I'm not going to do that. At this point, my focus is all on the Giants, the Giants defense, what this team needs to do to win the game and then next week we'll go to the next opponent.
"I don't want to blur my mind or distract myself any bit with thinking about those talks or thinking about what's going on when I've got enough on my plate to handle. I'm just focused on the Giants and I have people to handle. I'm just focused on the Giants and I have people to take care of that."
It's that focus that has set Prescott apart since replacing franchise passing leader Tony Romo as the team's quarterback in 2016, earning rookie of the year honors over the likes of the aforementioned Goff, Wentz and Elliott while leading the Cowboys to two NFC titles and a playoff win.
"He's had a very productive career for us up to this point and I think what you said at the outset is really a big reason for it," coach Jason Garrett said. "He's got a great presence, he's got great leadership abilities, he's got tremendous confidence in himself, he works extremely hard, he's always prepared for whatever situation he could be put into.
"And I think he's handled the opportunity up to this point in his career really, really well and he'll continue to grow because his approach is off the charts. He's so well respected by his coaches, his teammates, staff members around here. He just plays the game the right way. He prepares the right way. And he loves it and that's contagious throughout our team."
Tight end Jason Witten is in his 16th season with the Cowboys. He has had a front row seat to Prescott's arrival as a rookie sensation to now becoming the face of the team and remains in awe of how he handled it all with grace, class and leadership.
"Amidst all the contract stuff, the guy comes to work ready," Witten said. "He's ready every single day. Ask any guy in the locker room, they'll run through a wall for him. It's been a true joy for me at this point in my career to have a young teammate come in at that position and to see him take each step."
Prescott knows his teammates are watching him and is admittedly mindful to how he reacts to the circus around him. But it is no act.
"I think you have to know as a leader you are up front and people look at you for a reaction, and sometimes people pick at things to see if you are reacting," Prescott said. "I'd say a little bit. For the most part I think it's just the way I was raised, everything that I've been through on and off the field, I just focus on what I can control and the rest of this stuff doesn't matter to me."
What he can control is his attitude and what he does on the field.
And he is poised to have the best season of his career with the best team he's ever had around him.
The light clicked on for him late in 2018 in terms of comfort, confidence, knowledge and accuracy and "it's carried over," he said.
"It's not even comparable to the last three years," Prescott said. "Just from a knowledge standpoint, how comfortable I am in my game. So to compare my confidence right now to any of the three years isn't fair."
Neither is the stack of money that he knows the money is coming.
So he is not pressed. He is just being patient.
