5 Dallas Cowboys who deserve a contract extension

Dalton Schultz, TE

Tight end Dalton Schultz is entering the final year of his rookie deal which is set to pay him around $2.6 million this season. The Cowboys paid presumed starting tight end Blake Jarwin last offseason and the Cowboys could try and extend Schultz as well.

It was a terrible feeling when Jarwin tore his ACL last season but Schultz might have been the biggest breakout surprise of the entire season. Gone were the days of a tight end catching the ball and just being dragged down as Schultz showed the Cowboys that his position can also provide some yards after the catch (YAC).

Schultz was also an adequate blocker so extending Schultz when Jarwin is coming off a major injury could be the smart play here. What if Jarwin returns and no longer looks like he has the potential to become the team’s starter?

Schultz could continue to build off of his impressive step-up performance and command more money than the Cowboys are willing to pay after the 2021 season. We think Jarwin can become the team’s go-to starter at tight end but we know Schultz can effectively do the job.

I always find it gratifying when this team sticks to a late-round prospect and he exceeds their expectations. The previous regime stuck by old veterans to a fault while this new coaching staff actually played (maybe out of necessity) younger players to get valuable playing time to build off of.

The average NFL tight end makes $5 million a season so thinking Schultz would entertain a slightly higher salary could be misleading. Jarwin signed a deal that averages $5.5 million a year. Superstar tight end Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders averages almost $7.5 million a year.

This makes me think an extension with Schultz could fall in the $3-$5 million per year range. With Schultz already making almost $3 million this year, a deal with Schultz shouldn’t be all that difficult. This is something I expect to see from this front office sometime this offseason.