Perhaps the Cowboys are learning not to drag their feet when it comes to keeping key players.
As first reported by Jay Glazer of Fox and confirmed by others, the Cowboys have signed cornerback DaRon Bland to a four-year extension.
Bland, a fifth-round pick in 2022 from Fresno State, was entering the last year of his rookie contract. He was due to earn $5.346 million in 2025.
The four-year contract, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, has a base value of $92 million. (We’ll get the full details.) If accurate, it’s a new-money average of $23 million. That would put him at No. 5 among all cornerbacks. The five-year total value from signing is $19.46 million.
Bland had an All-Pro season in 2023, with nine interceptions and an all-time record five pick-sixes. Of course, that may have had something to do with the guy the Cowboys opted to trade, not pay.
As former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said on Friday’s PFT Live, “If you look at all those interceptions that their DBs were making, [DaRon] Bland and [Trevon] Diggs and you’re intercepting them and running back for touchdowns . . . look what’s going on around the quarterback on those throws. Micah Parsons is the guy causing all the problems, and those guys are hard to come by.”
But, hey, maybe Bland will also be expected to help stop the run.
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