Cowboys QB Dak Prescott will vie with Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. and Steelers WR Antonio Brown for the most national spots within the NFL TV schedule this season, the latest sign of his meteoric rise since being a fourth-round pick in the ’16 NFL Draft. Prescott’s plan even before being drafted out of Mississippi State was to build slowly and establish relationships with Cowboys and NFL sponsors. He initially sat down with Jabez Marketing Group’s Peter Miller in December ‘15 for a “short” introductory meeting that turned into a three-hour bonding session. Miller, who now handles Prescott's marketing work, said, “He saw success coming, not necessarily this quickly. But from that first meeting he talked about a measured approach.” Miller only did trading card (Panini) and footwear/apparel deals (Adidas) during Prescott’s first season. A subsequent Beats by Dre deal came after the regular season. Miller built relationships through informal dinners with Prescott and marketers on Monday nights during the season, and he later made the rounds with his client at the Super Bowl in Houston. Prescott built on-field credibility last year with a 13-win season and claiming the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. With the ’17 season beginning tomorrow, Prescott has deals and TV ads with Adidas, DirecTV, Campbell’s Chunky Soup, DirecTV, 7-Eleven and New Era along with endorsements for Beats and Pepsi/Frito-Lay, which may yet add TV support. “There’s a lot of opportunities that will come to anyone who’s quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys,’’ said Miller, noting that financial services and auto are missing from Prescott’s portfolio. “The first season we turned down things that seemed like short-term cash grabs.” He added they more recently have turned down deals “with a lot of cash that just didn’t seem authentic.’’
