In the midst of — and in the aftermath of — the Micah Parsons trade, we saw something of a Cowboys contracts frenzy. Dallas opened up its checkbook and extended huge new deals to three key players, and we’re now getting the early returns.
When it comes to All-Pro Tyler Smith, we knew what we were getting, but the other two came into the 2025 season with a ton of question marks.
DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson, with a whole lot of new money in their pockets, were deemed by some as “risks” when their extensions were handed out this summer.
The high ceiling, low floor argument for both has certainly come true at the beginning of their new deals.
Jake Ferguson: $52M Looks Great After Historic Start
“Ferg” has had a roller coaster career in the NFL. His rookie year was lackluster; his sophomore campaign, in 2023, was dominant; and his 2024 was a huge fall-off.
Naturally, when Dallas decided to roll out a brand new, $52M deal, many had questions about his trajectory in relation to that money. Luckily, he’s taken it and run to a historically good start.
Among TEs – Jake Ferguson ranks:
1st in Targets
1st in Receptions
2nd in Touchdowns
4th in Receiving YardsFerguson is currently the TE1 on the season. pic.twitter.com/k2GRdhHVou
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) October 8, 2025
The former Wisconsin Badgers leads all tight ends in receptions by a quarter-mile, and he has once again emerged as a top-two target for Dak Prescott as CeeDee Lamb continues to miss time.
Simply put, the early returns on Jake Ferguson’s contract extension could not be better.
DaRon Bland: More Injuries, Less High-Level Play Grows Early Concerns
Before the Cowboys finalized their $92M deal with Bland, they had already paid a ball-hawking corner with some injury concerns $97M in Trevon Diggs.
That contract has not aged well, and that’s what alarmed so many when the news broke of Bland’s new money. Unfortunately, he has not done much to quiet those fears, as injuries and poor performance have followed him into the 2025 season.
Is it fair to critique his performance with him being banged up? That’s up for debate, but you can’t deny he hasn’t made the impact a $90M cornerback should.
Bland, if he can’t get back on track this season, will be three calendar years removed from his sole All-Pro year when the 2026 campaign kicks off. That will also be the first of four years under his new price tag.
It’s too early to judge these Cowboys contracts, but we can’t deny the early returns and what they may be telling us about the future.
Leads all tight ends on the team, or in the NFL?
I can only hope the Cowboys draft a CB that doesn’t come with an injury history. I can’t believe how much was have tied in salary cap space to two CBs that can’t stay healthy, much less produce at a league average rate. Then, with these concerns the Cowboys bet on Revel’s injury history won’t be indicative of the future. Like LVH, injury history should place draft pickas perhaps two rounds lower, The Cowboys are betting too much on players with injury concerns by paying less on a long-term deals and believing the cap savings is more valuable than seemingly ignoring injury histories. Terrence Steele is another example of this thinking.