The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2025 season as thin at the running back position as any team in the league, as Brian Schottenheimer seemed perfectly prepared to head into that season with a committee backfield spearheaded by Javonte Williams one year after he was unplayable with the Denver Broncos.
Due to both a favorable Cowboys scheme working wonders for him and his own excellent performance, the former second-round pick managed to get back on the right track and amass the finest season of his career. Jerry Jones was not willing to let someone with Williams' ceiling test the market.
The Cowboys agreed to a three-year, $24 million extension with Williams that will pay him $16 million in guaranteed money and lock him in as the unquestioned starter for most ofthe next half-decade in Dallas. Letting him test the market would have been a foolish move.
Just a year after being left for dead and contributing to Dallas being widely criticized for how the 2025 offseason was managed, Williams is now a long-term part of the offensive furniture for a team doing everything they can to get back on the right track.
Cowboys sign RB Javonte Williams to a three-year extension
Williams' contract is equal to that of D'Andre Swift in terms of AAV while being slightly below that of Las Vegas' Ashton Jeanty one year removed from his rookie season, New England's Rhamondre Stevenson, and Detroit backup David Montgomery. The value is already excellent for Dallas.
The North Carolina product ran for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. The 11 touchdowns equal the total he piled up in four seasons in Denver, and the yardage tally is just 86 yards below what he piled up during his final two seasons with the Broncos.
The Cowboys appear to be of the mindset that their offense is good enough to compete for postseason victories right away, which could lead to a new contract for George Pickens on top of what they already have in place. The improvements to the team's offense may come via the 2026 NFL Draft with some of their premium picks.
Dallas took a big gamble in signing Williams and letting him get such a lion's share of the backfield work right out of the gate, but they may have come out of it smelling like a rose, which is exactly what Jones envisioned when he brought No. 33 to town.