Who is the winner and loser of the Jake Ferguson extension?

Well, as you have all probably heard by now, the Dallas Cowboys got a deal done over the weekend, but it was not Micah Parsons. Jake Ferguson got paid on Sunday.

He signed a four-year, $52 million contract extension that includes $30 million in total guarantees, according to Ian Rapoport. The deal includes a $12 million signing bonus and keeps Ferguson under contract through the 2029 season.

Before I get into a winner and loser of this deal, we saw Fergs numbers dip somewhat in 2024, as the Cowboys’ offensive scheme evolved and other players took on larger roles.

Last season, he caught 59 passes for 494 yards and did not record a touchdown. He battled a injury and played with two backup quarterbacks for most of the season.

No contract year.

Cowboys and TE Jake Ferguson have agreed to a four-year, $52M extension that will keep him in Dallas through 2029. Ferguson will take home $30M guaranteed, source confirms. First reported by @RapSheet.

Ferguson becomes the 7th-highest paid TE in the league. pic.twitter.com/7CRy6mxfqp
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 27, 2025

Loser

Again, these are just my thoughts, but I think the biggest loser as of right now after this deal is Luke Schoonmaker.

Schoonmaker has dealt with a few injury situations since joining the Cowboys and that has obviously been an unfortunate thing for him to navigate.

We have yet to fully see how Brian Schottenheimer is going to call the offense so it is certainly possible that he can carve out a role in it, but it feels fair to say that the opportunities in the future just shrank a bit.

I think the front office was holding out hope that he would come on a bit more than he did, so that they could not give Ferguson a new deal until they really need to do so, but long term, this hurts Luke the most.

Winner

I would say the front office because they got it at a price that fit their budget like always and got it done early. Let’s just hope this does not turn into a Michael Gallup-type situation, or it will be another deal gone to waste.

I wouldn’t necessarily qualify Jake Ferguson’s deal as team-friendly. I think it’s an appropriate value for both sides.

It’s team-friendly timing, if anything.

The winner for me as of today is Dak Prescott. If Dak can stay on the field, this is his guy outside CeeDee Lamb.

Ferg is a guy that, when he finished second in the MVP voting, has his best year to date, and Jake was a massive reason why.

Now both of these guys and CeeDee Lamb are locked up on the offense for at least the near future.

I just hope they all stay upright, and again you don’t have to agree with me about the winner and loser of this deal. These are just my thoughts.