SEPTEMBER 1: Bland’s extension is worth a maximum (rather than a base value) of $92MM, as detailed by ESPN’s Todd Archer. A $22MM signing bonus is present, and Bland’s base salaries in 2025 and ’26 are locked in at signing. His $12MM salary for 2027 is guaranteed for injury and vests in March of that year. The same structure is in place for annual $1MM roster bonuses.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the deal includes a $19MM option bonus in 2028. Annual escalators worth up to $500K each are in place based on individual and team performances (with five and seven interceptions marking the thresholds and full pay being tied to whether or not the team reaches the playoffs the previous season). Salary de-escalators are also present instead of workout bonuses. In all, the four-year pact is worth $90MM in base value with $36.35MM fully guaranteed and another $13MM set to lock in midway through the deal.
AUGUST 31: The Cowboys have agreed to a four-year extension with cornerback DaRon Bland, as FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer was first to report. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds the deal is worth $92MM and includes $50MM in guaranteed money. The Cowboys have since announced the extension.
We heard back in April that Dallas was eyeing long-term deals for Bland, tight end Jake Ferguson, left guard Tyler Smith, and kicker Brandon Aubrey. Now, a little over month after extending Ferguson, Bland is on the books for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the situation involving former Cowboys edge defender Micah Parsons has been one of the NFL’s key storylines this offseason. Parsons, a premier, in-his-prime talent, was not originally viewed as a realistic trade candidate, but the relationship between player and team deteriorated in a very public way, and Dallas recently dealt the four-time Pro Bowler to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. While the trade and the circumstances that gave rise to it have earned owner Jerry Jones a great deal of criticism, it did free up some funds to be allocated elsewhere.
Indeed, as Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News writes, team sources said in the wake of the Parsons trade that the Cowboys would be active on the extension front. As such, it would not be surprising to see Smith and/or Aubrey get a new contract in short order.
A report at the end of July suggested Dallas and Bland were engaged in contract talks, and those conversations progressed to the point that Bland was hoping to put pen to paper before Week 1. He has gotten his wish, and in so doing he has landed just outside the top-five earners at the cornerback position in terms of average annual value. His new-money average of $23MM/year is just behind the likes of Patrick Surtain ($24MM), Jalen Ramsey ($24.1MM), and Jaycee Horn ($25MM).
Bland followed Trevon Diggs to the first-team All-Pro level in 2023, returning an NFL-record five interceptions for touchdowns. The fifth-round find became a vital piece in Dallas’ defense that season, shifting to an outside CB role in the wake of Diggs’ September ACL tear. Bland, who intercepted an NFL-most nine passes that season, now joins Diggs as a high-priced corner on the Cowboys’ defense. Pro Football Focus ranked Bland second among qualified corners in 2023 and 33rd during his seven-game 2024.
Entering his age-26 season, Bland also saw his extension leverage strengthened by Diggs’ injury trouble. The Cowboys paid Diggs (via a five-year, $97MM extension) before the 2023 season but have not seen the 2021 first-team All-Pro live up to the deal. The knee trouble Diggs ran into in 2023 resurfaced last year, and he missed the team’s offseason program and training camp due to the rehab effort. Diggs is off Dallas’ PUP list but is a question mark going into the season.
Bland is no stranger to injury trouble himself, having suffered a foot fracture during training camp last year. That kept him out 10 games, as the Cowboys activated him in late October but did not use him in a game until their Thanksgiving tilt. This extension certainly reveals confidence Bland can anchor Dallas’ CB corps moving forward. The team can release Diggs for just less than $6MM in dead money in 2026.
With third-round rookie Shavon Revel on the team’s reserve/NFI list after an ACL tear sustained during his final East Carolina season, Bland will be a crucial piece to Matt Eberflus‘ defense — especially considering one of the NFL’s lead pass-rushing pieces is now in Wisconsin. The Cowboys have question marks at their other CB posts for the time being, with trade acquisition Kaiir Elam — a former first-rounder the Bills never trusted as a regular starter — set to play a key role while Diggs and Revel recover.
Bland’s usage will be interesting to track this year as well. After playing a near-full-time slot role as a rookie, he has largely been a boundary defender. This offseason, however, the Cowboys had Bland working in the slot regularly. A setup where he plays inside on passing downs, alongside Diggs and Elam/Revel, would make sense for the Cowboys. This contract also checks in well north of where the 49ers went for their multipurpose CB (Deommodore Lenoir) last year and miles ahead of the slot-only market.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
You IDIOTS got the WRONG guy!!!
You FOOLS
4/50 for a high quality starting CB is nice
If he stays for all four years, it’ll be way more than $50 million, almost double that amount.
Yeah silly comment/take. $50M is the fully guaranteed #, which is likely paid out by year 3. If he stays all 4 it’s $92M for a not top 20 CB…
I blame Carolina for giving J. Horn 25m per for being hurt half the time. Now the whole CB marker is out of wack
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Great when you sign the right guys. I’d rather sign Bland, Smith, Pickens, Ferguson and another for what Parsons was holding the team for ransom for? I should say Parsons agent. Parsons agreed with the team to a 203 million dollar deal with more guaranteed money than the GB deal. The agent…….the AHENT demanded more! so there you go. place blame, if you think its necessary where it belongs.
Signing four “guys” does not equate to a difference maker. Championships are won with difference makers not guys.
You probably think Jerry trading Herschel Walker was wrong then?
After watching “Americas Team” on Netflix, I think this signing was half done to spite Parsons
What was that 1995? Are the Cowboy fans really trying to run that they killed it in 1995?
Great! Now win in this Century.
Cowboy fans, you got hosed, by the Packers, by Parsons, by your own terrible ownership. Leave the relationship. Move on. Plenty of quality teams out there.
Thurs is going to UGLY.
Jerry trading Walker??? You mean Jimmy
Difference makers Win nothing with out “guys” as supporting cast.
Their run defense has been about the worst in the league with that difference maker. Everyone knows to run the ball when they play Dallas.
And that was Parsons fault? You have the top pressure creator in the entire league and you want him to hold his ground and play the run instead? How about drafting better DT’s than Mazi Smith, that’s where run defenses are made and with the LB’s.
One who has back issues. Prob won’t age well. We will see
How many super bowls did they win with 47 million a year Parsons? Correct answer of course is zero. So I guess it’s a mute point. In 3 years from now when we know what they’ve done with there handful of first round picks, will tell the results of the trade.
Only fools pay CBs and not pass rushers. CBs can be found on trees.
Diggs and Bland are not cover corners. They got picks due to pressures, no Parsons means less errand passes to be picked.
getting Clark and extending this guy are the final pieces in Jerry’s master plan .. he’s got howie shakin’ in his shoes
Without Parsons, we will see how well Bland will play. I think he can still play well if healthy but has to get even better on tackling. Diggs tackles like Deion Sanders. Hopefully, he can try to cover like him because he will be targetted and Elam has to step up as well.
The Cowboys love having a couple of studs on defense and the rest being mediocre. It’s been their biggest weakness for the past 20 years.
Jerry only cares about offense because it sells tickets.