Here are two winners and two losers from the Jake Ferguson contract extension with the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys struck an extension with tight end Jake Ferguson on Sunday and the first domino of that sort has now officially fallen. Obviously we hope, and on some level anticipate, that others will soon (Micah Parsons, duh).
What separates the Ferguson extension from others like Parsons that could come in the near future is that Ferguson has only just become eligible for an extension (as soon as this offseason began technically). Being proactive with players is something Dallas has shown a willingness to do… for the right price. Given that Ferguson is coming off of a down year the opportunity was likely there so the Cowboys pounced and it worked out for everyone.
However we got here doesn’t matter relative to the conversation that we are about to have as Jake Ferguson’s extension is part of our new reality. Today we are going to discuss two winners and two losers from the deal.
Let’s begin.
Winner: Offensive continuity
Things change in the NFL and that is normal, but it is always nice when you can maintain some level of consistency at the most important points. With Ferguson now taken care of the foreseeable future the Cowboys have their quarterback, top wide receiver and a very important pass-catcher all locked in place for the next few seasons (adding George Pickens in this capacity would be nice).
Consider the tight end position in and of itself. Prior to Ferguson the position was dominated by Dalton Schultz, a player who Dallas played the franchise tag dance with. There was nothing individually wrong with how the Cowboys went about things with Schultz, but he was a viable weapon himself and circumstances led to him leaving.
Consider that on some level Ferguson is now the tight end who the team has made the most serious commitment to since Jason Witten. Ensuring that there is a familiar face there is critical for reasons well beyond the obvious, and the Cowboys took care of that.
Winner: The Cowboys Front Office
To be very clear here, the bar is low. Nevertheless, the front office just skipped over it.
There are a number of things that we could/would change about the way that the Cowboys front office goes about conducting business and those things remain true in a world where Jake Ferguson has his extension. Multiple things can be true.
Deals for Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Tyler Smith, Brandon Aubrey and George Pickens all (or whichever specific ones you prefer, you get the point) should have been taken care of by this point, but getting Ferguson done is not necessarily an indictment against those points.
The Cowboys are making a bet on Ferguson returning to form and are establishing a bit of an idea that if you play well for the team you will get paid. Obviously that isn’t entirely true.
Honestly I mean this in a way as to classify the front office as a winner despite the negative slant, but some things are unavoidable from a conversational standpoint. Factual things are factual regardless of the moment.
This moment though is a good one for Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones. They were proactive on a player and can legitimately high-five over it.
Loser: Luke Schoonmaker
It is hard to come to any other conclusion, unfortunately.
As noted, this extension makes Jake Ferguson the top-level tight end on the Cowboys for the foreseeable future. That future very certainly includes and will overlap with the time remaining on Luke Schoonmaker’s rookie contract. Any idea that he will emerge as the top option on the team at the position is fighting an uphill battle.
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.
Loser: Another second-round pick
The intention here is not to basically say “Luke Schoonmaker again”, but this point is hard to not include. Two years after taking Schoonmaker with a second-round pick the Cowboys gave a contract extension to someone other than him at his position. That is not a great overall look.
No one is suggesting that Dallas should have forced an extension to Schoonmaker in the future or anything like that. We are not arguing a sunk cost fallacy. You take your chances and adapt along the way and live with the consequences. That is a totally fine way to operate.
Bu the Cowboys have a horrid history of success in the second round and this will not do that reputation any favors. Missing is an understandable thing as it happens in the NFL, but missing with regularity is an issue, especially with a top-level asset.