ANDY DALTON, RELEASED by the Cincinnati Bengals after nine years as a starting quarterback, agreed terms on a one-year NFL contract with the Dallas Cowboys over the weekend.
The Cowboys, who announced the deal in a Saturday night website posting, have a starter in Dak Prescott, who will make $31.4 (€28.7) million in the 2020 season after being named the team’s “franchise” player in March.
Dalton, who lives in Dallas and was a star at nearby Texas Christian University, would be a major upgrade as a backup over Cooper Rush, who has thrown only three passes in three seasons behind Prescott.
The Cowboys want to sign a long-term deal with Prescott, one that could make him the NFL’s top-paid passer, by a July 15 deadline.
32-year-old Dalton, whose new contract is worth a minimum $3 (€2.74) million, completed 2,757 of 4,449 passes for 31,594 yards and 204 touchdowns with 118 interceptions in nine seasons with Cincinnati.
The Bengals, first-round playoff losers in Dalton’s first five seasons, have endured four losing seasons since, including last year’s league-worst 2-14 campaign.
That flop led Cincinnati to draft college star quarterback Joe Burrow with the top overall pick and set up Dalton’s release on Thursday.
The Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl, or even reached a conference final, since taking their third NFL title in four seasons in the 1995 campaign. They went 8-8 last season, missing the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.
Prescott, 26, has guided the Cowboys for four seasons, going 40-24 as a starter.
