FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott there will be one familiar voice in the quarterback room this year: Backup Cooper Rush has agreed to a two-year deal worth $5 million and includes a $1.25 million signing bonus, according to sources.
Rush could earn up to $6 million in the deal.
Rush has a 5-1 record as the Cowboys’ starter over the past two seasons while filling in for an injured Prescott. For his career, he threw for 1,475 yards with eight touchdown passes and four interceptions. At least two AFC teams sought to sign Rush before he agreed to return to the Cowboys.
The team likely won’t make the playoffs in 2022 without Rush, who stepped in for the injured Prescott at the start of the season and went 4-1 as a starter.
Prescott suffered a broken right thumb in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers which required surgery and forced him to miss five games. Filling in, Rush was solid and made plays when they mattered most.
His numbers weren’t impressive — Rush never topped 235 yards passing or had more than two touchdown passes in a game. However, he helped the Cowboys beat the 2021 Super Bowl runners-up (Cincinnati Bengals) and champions (Los Angeles Rams) in four weeks, while delivering two key NFC East wins against the New York Giants and Washington Commanders in the middle.
Rush, who turned 29 in November, had three interceptions in the first half in the loss to Philadelphia Eagles before Prescott returned.
In the nine games in which he saw action last season, Rush was 84-of-162 passing for 1,051 yards and five touchdowns.
This isn’t the first time Rush has been forced into the starting role in place of Prescott. In his first career start — against Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 31, 2021 — Rush threw for 325 yards on 24-of-40 passing with two touchdowns, including the game-winner in Amari Cooper at the last minute.
In three of his six career starts, he led Dallas on a late game-winning drive, becoming one of nine quarterbacks to do so within the first six starts of a career.
Rush won the Cowboys’ backup job as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and held the job through 2019. With the arrival of Mike McCarthy in 2020 and the addition of Andy DaltonRush was released and spent time with the Giants before returning to the Cowboys later that season.