The Dallas Cowboys have extended soon-to-be free agent Javonte Williams to a 3-year deal worth $24M in total.
Williams, 25, gets $8M per year and a very solid $16M in guaranteed money with the extension. It will keep him in Dallas, at least contractually, through the 2028 season.
It was less than a year ago that Williams, a North Carolina native and former Denver Bronco, signed with the Cowboys for just $3M over one season. For all intents and purposes, it was a last-chance deal to revive his career.
As proven by his second contract with Dallas, he did that and more.
Javonte Williams: Great Play In 2025, Great Money In 2026
At the beginning of the 2025 season, Williams was expected to battle with rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, and veteran Miles Sanders for snaps. He quickly showed that any “competition” was not needed.
Williams saw career highs in carries, yards, touchdowns, and basically every other statistical category you can think of.
He ran for 1,201 yards, good for ninth in the NFL, while also scoring over a dozen total touchdowns. It set him up well for a payday, and that came to fruition today.
The money puts him around the D’Andre Swift and Chuba Hubbard range league-wide at the position, which is fantastic for him considering his value in free agency last year, and not too high for Dallas that they had to break the bank to retain him.
Williams is a key part of an offense that the Cowboys are likely going to just try to replicate in 2026 while throwing draft picks and outstanding money at the defense.
This will allow them to do that, considering an $8M AAV is well within their budget for the offseason.
Free Agent Running Back Without Javonte Williams
Make no mistake about it, the Cowboys jumped on making this deal because Williams would have had a strong market if he hit free agency.
His production and youth would have put him at the top of the list for many teams, but now those squads will have to look elsewhere; in this free agent running back class, however, that’s not a bad problem to have.
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, Jets’ star Breece Hall, former Jaguars first-rounder Travis Etienne, and former Cowboy Rico Dowdle now headline a strong free agent group at the position.
Good on Dallas for making sure their guy didn’t join this list.
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