OXNARD, Calif. -- The Dallas Cowboys have rediscovered the formula they used in the past regarding contract extensions for their key players.
The three-year, $105.9 million extension agreed to Monday by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams -- with an annual average of $35.3 million that is second highest among defensive tackles -- is yet another sign.
The George Pickens contract situation (franchise tagged for 2026) not withstanding, in the past 12 months the Cowboys have made Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith the highest paid interior offensive lineman (subsequently passed by the Raiders' Tyler Linderbaum and Falcons' Chris Lindstrom) at $24 million per season and Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey the highest paid ($7 million) at his position.
They have also kept key players away from unrestricted free agency, including tight end Jake Ferguson and cornerback DaRon Bland, who signed deals that made each of them the eighth-highest paid player at their positions. Ferguson's deal averages $12.5 million a season, and Bland's checks in at $22.5 million. Add defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to that list after he signed a four-year, $80 million contract in March 2025, though he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers before the draft.
"Every deal's different. You just hit certain bumps in the road where things don't [work out]," executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "It's not because we don't want to. It's just getting the right deal for what we think, for the organization. I think that's the important part.
"Obviously, no one thinks more of Dak than we do, but it's not easy to get one of the top quarterbacks in the league [done] and it can take time. Made a run at CeeDee the year before and it wasn't the right timing. So we put it on the backburner, never any hard feelings, then got it done."
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, middle, agreed to a massive contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. AP Photo/Jerome Miron It was not too long ago that the Cowboys sweated out deals with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. In 2024, Prescott did not agree to his record-setting $60 million a year deal until the morning of the season opener, and Lamb sat out most of training camp before signing his deal that averaged $34 million and made him, at the time, the second-highest paid wide receiver.
Last summer was dominated by the Micah Parsons' saga. He was set to play last season on his fifth-year option when discussions went haywire after owner and general manager Jerry Jones thought he and the edge rusher agreed to an extension only to see Parsons say he would not sign a deal without involvement from his agent.