Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cowboys Lock Down Jake Ferguson With Contract Extension – How a 4th Rounder Became the Franchise’s Highest Earning Tight End

Jake Ferguson now the highest-earning tight end in Cowboys history!

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While most Cowboys fans have been waiting for the big news of Micah Parsons and his long-pending contract extension, Dallas has quietly gotten a new deal done with tight end Jake Ferguson.

The former Wisconsin Badgers’ tight end signed a new 4-year extension on Sunday morning, making him the highest earning player at this position in franchise history.

Jake Ferguson Extension Details

The Cowboys extended their starting tight end, Jake Ferguson, with a 4-year deal worth $52 million. The contract also includes a $30 million guarantee as well as a $12 million signing bonus. The 26-year-old will now make $13 million annually.

The #Cowboys and standout TE Jake Ferguson have agreed to terms on a 4-year extension worth $52M in new money with $30M total guaranteed. The deal was done by agent Jack Bechta (@jackbechta).

Ferguson gets a $12M signing bonus. Dallas takes care of a young star. pic.twitter.com/Qd1zsVzTky
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 27, 2025

Ferguson’s latest deal sees him as the 7th highest-earning tight end in the league behind superstars such as George Kittle, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce, and others.

Player	Average Annual Salary
George Kittle	$19.1 million
Trey McBride	$19 million
Travis Kelce	$17.125 million
T.J. Hockenson	$16.5 million
Mark Andrews	$14 million
David Njoku	$13.687 million
Jake Ferguson	$12 million

How Ferguson Earned His New Deal?

Ferguson was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. As a rookie, he didn’t have the most impressive numbers. He finished the year with just 19 receptions for 174 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. However, playing behind Dalton Schultz, he had limited production.

However, in 2023, after Schultz joined the Texans, Ferguson made massive improvements to his game, even though he was not seen as the future starter.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson on signing a new contract: “I don’t want to be anywhere else. It’s a privilege to wear this star. … I know what I’m capable of and I know what I want to do this year. That doesn’t change if there’s a $100 million or zero.” pic.twitter.com/BKs2BRRIml
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 27, 2025

Luke Schoonmaker was drafted in the second round in the 2023 draft as the next franchise tight end, but Ferguson put up 71 receptions for 761 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns to cement his place as the go-to guy for Dak Prescott. His season culminated in a Pro Bowl nod as a replacement for Kittle.

Despite the huge extension, Ferguson remains grounded as ever and focused on the task ahead. Speaking at a media session after his extension, Ferguson ensured that he remains committed to winning.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!