FRISCO, Texas — It's hard to argue that anybody in the building was happier than Terence Steele on Monday at The Star in Frisco.
Fresh off signing his five-year, $86.2 million extension on Monday morning, Steele was glowing with excitement and happiness as he reflected on the journey to this point as well as what's still in store for him in Dallas.
"It makes me feel awesome," Steele said. "It makes me feel like all of the hard work that I've put in has paid off. I also know that there's more work to be put in so I won't be complacent."
The deal came together rather quickly for Steele and his management team, as the front office and his agent worked for roughly the past two weeks to strike a deal that eventually came to fruition on Sunday.
"They've been talking for a couple of weeks," he said. "Going into last week, I knew they were talking but I didn't know it was gonna get that serious. I'd say Friday and Saturday they made a big push for it and it finally happened."
Upon learning the news of the agreement, Steele immediately made a phone call to the leaders of his support group: his parents.
"I definitely called my mom and my dad," he said. "I let them know the good news and they were super happy. Then I called my financial advisor right after."
When Steele tore his ACL late last season, a contract extension before he touched the field again maybe seemed a little far-fetched. But after an offseason that saw Steele diligently work through his rehab process to be ready in time for week one, the decision to extend the former undrafted free agent became an easy one.
"It probably had something to do with it," he said about his rehab process. "Just gave them my confidence in my knee coming back. I've heard some people come back and they're not the same, so I just wanted to make that a point coming back that I'll keep progressing like I have."
"It's a blessing to even be here and to compete the way I am. It's a testament to the work I've put in and the support from my family, friends, locker mates and coaches. It was a group effort and it all worked out, so I'm happy."
Looking forward, Steele is excited about putting his parents up for good when his new paychecks start rolling in, as he credits them for being a major reason why today became a reality.
"Honestly, I'm gonna probably take care of my parents," he said about what he wants to buy first. "Buy my mom a car, get pops something and make sure he's good. I'm gonna take care of my family first and then I'll worry about whatever I need after that. That was one of my main goals of coming in here and competing. I want to take care of my family and make sure they're good for life."
