FRISCO, Texas — The 2025 NFL season is mere days away, and for the Dallas Cowboys, their deadline to do offers earlier than the upcoming 2025 season is about to reach.
In 2023, the Cowboys re-signed All-Professional vast receiver CeeDee Lamb shortly after the staff returned residence to Texas from Oxnard, California, they usually re-signed three-time Professional Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott hours earlier than kickoff in Week 1 on the Cleveland Browns.
This offseason, they’ve re-signed Professional Bowl tight finish Jake Ferguson, shockingly traded away All-Professional edge rusher Micah Parsons and re-signed 2023 All-Professional cornerback DaRon Bland on Sunday.
“We’re a draft and develop staff. We wish to draft guys. We wish to develop them. We have proven that now we have an incredible historical past right here, lengthy earlier than I bought right here, of drafting gamers and growing them. And I believe the cool factor if you take a look at the fellows that you simply try this with is often they do not change,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated after Bland re-signed on Sunday. “Fergy has not modified a bit. He is nonetheless the enforcer that he likes to be and half bit loopy on a regular basis, which is superior. I really like being round him, and DaRon’s not going to vary. So I believe anytime you’ll be able to draft these guys, develop them after which get them right into a second contract, it is good to see and also you’re thrilled for them and their household.”
So who needs to be subsequent to be prolonged earlier than the 2025 season kicks off within the wake of the extra cap area the commerce of Parsons freed up? Ought to possession maybe prioritize left guard Tyler Smith, kicker Brandon Aubrey or perhaps even new Cowboys vast receiver George Pickens? Let’s rank the gamers Dallas needs to be prioritizing on its extensions to-do listing and mission what their subsequent offers may probably seem like in the event that they had been signed previous to the upcoming season getting underway. The participant who sits at primary on this acquired Schottenheimer’s stamp of approval to be the subsequent man to be financially set for all times.
3. Okay Brandon Aubrey
- Present contract standing: Getting into last yr of present deal in 2025 with a wage of $1.03 million
- Extension projection: 4 years, $27 million
Sentimentally, many Cowboys followers would rank kicker Brandon Aubrey, a two-time All-Professional and a two-time Professional Bowler in each of his NFL seasons, increased on this listing. He rewrote NFL document books in his first yr within the league in 2023 thanks to creating his first 35 discipline objectives in a row. That shattered the document for many made discipline objectives in a row to start a profession, and he ended up simply three made discipline objectives wanting breaking the league’s all-time document for many made discipline objectives in a row (37 by former Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt in 2003). Aubrey ended 2023 because the NFL’s season chief in made discipline objectives, changing on 36 of his 38 makes an attempt, which earned him All-Professional honors.
The 2024 season was barely extra chaotic, however Aubrey was simply as proficient from lengthy vary. He made 40 of his 47 discipline objectives total, together with an NFL single-season document of 14 from 50 yards or deeper. That determine included a 65-yard discipline aim Aubrey made in Week 3 in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens, the longest made discipline aim in Cowboys historical past and the second-longest made discipline aim in NFL historical past. He ended up because the league’s second-team All-Professional for 2024.
It is apparent Aubrey is already an all-time weapon as a kicker, however the motive he’s fifth on this listing is only due to his positional worth. As for what an Aubrey extension may like, it’s going to possible be one which resets the kicker positional market. Aubrey’s agent is Todd France, the identical agent for Prescott — the league’s highest-paid participant primarily based on common per wage ($60 million). Kansas Metropolis Chiefs three-time Super Bowl champion kicker Harrison Butker at present leads all kickers in contract complete worth ($25.6 million) and common per yr wage ($6.4 million), so an Aubrey extension will possible find yourself beating Butker’s deal in each metrics.
2. WR George Pickens
- Present contract standing: Getting into last yr of rookie deal in 2025 with a wage of $3.656 million
- Extension projection: 3 years, $58 million
Jerry Jones re-signing vast receiver George Pickens earlier than the 2025 season begins might be essentially the most unlikely of those three contracts to get carried out on this time-frame. That is as a result of Jones acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a commerce in Could, which means he is by no means seen him go well with up in an actual recreation for Dallas.
Nonetheless, that does not imply it would not be prudent. Pickens comes over from an offense that struggled to search out any consistency at quarterback the 24-year-old’s complete NFL profession, and now the explosive deep menace will get to line up throughout from an All-Professional in Lamb and catch passes from the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up. Regardless of being Pittsburgh’s clear-cut No. 1 choice amongst a sea of misfit toys over time, Pickens averaged an NFL-best 16.7 yards per reception throughout the final two seasons, a determine that leads your entire NFL amongst 61 gamers with at the least 110 catches since 2023.
“Yeah. I imply, from day one, he made it straightforward, man. He is a man that will get open, huge goal, runs exhausting, performs like a staff participant. So whether or not it is the run [blocking] or not, he is doing his job,” Prescott stated of Pickens on Sunday. “And it has been straightforward, and it is solely gotten higher and higher and higher. It is actually due to the participant he’s, and the purchase in that he is had into this offense. Whether or not it is studying, studying extra and asking for extra as a result of he is mastered that. Tremendous excited to have one other man like that on the market.”
He’ll possible make a leap in 2025 in a way more pass-friendly offensive ecosystem, so it could possibly be clever for Jones to lock Pickens down now. If the Cowboys do resolve to be proactive, they might save some huge cash on the again finish by signing Pickens now. Primarily based on his profession numbers (174 catches for two,841 yards receiving and 12 receiving touchdowns in three seasons) and his age (24), maybe Jones may re-sign Pickens to a three-year, $58 million deal. That will surpass Cleveland Browns vast receiver Jerry Jeudy’s three-year, $52.5 million extension he signed on the similar age, and the size of the deal would enable Pickens to be up for one more deal within the midst of his prime at 27 years outdated.
1. LG Tyler Smith
- Present contract standing: Getting into second to final yr of rookie deal in 2025 on a $2.530 million base wage
- Extension projection: 4 years, $95 million
Two-time Professional Bowl left guard Tyler Smith is now the chief of the Cowboys offensive line after the offseason retirements of each Zack Martin and Tyron Smith. Each of these future Cowboys Ring of Honor members anointed Smith somebody who “will go down as one of many best.” ESPN’s survey of NFL coaches, scouts and executives additionally voted Smith because the league’s second-best interior offensive lineman. That is why Schottenheimer banged the desk for Jones to re-sign Smith.
“I believe the man is an All-Professional guard. He is an unimaginable expertise. He is one other man that is draft and develop. He was drafted as a sort out at Tulsa. He is available in right here, performs sort out, then we bought to maneuver you to protect. The facility that he possesses is loopy,” Schottenheimer stated. “The factor I really like about Tyler is that he hasn’t checked up sooner or later. He is most likely certainly one of our hardest apply gamers that now we have. He does not miss a beat and hasn’t stated a phrase. That is one of many belongings you respect about him as a competitor. What a expertise. Hopefully, he is the subsequent one which’s capable of get carried out.”
Re-signing the 24-year-old would require resetting the inside offensive lineman market that was not too long ago reset by Kansas Metropolis Chiefs Professional Bowl proper guard Trey Smith, and his four-year, $94 million extension. Jones will possible need to go only a smidge increased to re-sign Tyler Smith forward of Week 1.
