Because of the ongoing George Pickens debacle, the Dallas Cowboys signing Javonte Williams to a three-year, $24 million extension is a move that has flown heavily under the radar. But it looks like one that'll age much better over time, and could be the most impactful decision of Dallas' offseason.
Before signing with the Cowboys, Williams' career was on life support. It was unclear if he could re-capture his form from before his ACL tear, but giving him a shot to rewrite his fate was a risk that Dallas was willing to take. And that belief resulted in him enjoying the best year of his career.
While discussing the most under-appreciated player on all 32 NFL teams, NFL Network's Tom Blair didn't just give the 26-year-old his flowers; he backed up precisely why Jerry Jones made a good investment: Javonte is fresh off one of the best Cowboys' RB seasons since the turn of the century.
"That wasn't just a veteran free agent on a one-year prove-it contract putting up a nice line for a team that scuffled to a 7-9-1 finish," Blair wrote. "That wasn't even just the best season of his career -- it was one of the best running back seasons by any Cowboy this century. Since 2000, three Dallas players have logged at least one season with 1,100-plus rushing yards and 10-plus rushing TDs: DeMarco Murray (2014), Ezekiel Elliott (2016 and '19) and Williams."
The Dallas Cowboys' Javonte Williams extension is a massive bargain
In 2025, the fifth-year back had his first 1,000-yard rushing season, as he logged a career-high 1,201 yards and 11 scores. But Blair noted that he's breathing rarified air, as only three Cowboys running backs have had a season with over 1,000 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns this century.
The other two running backs? DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott, two of the more decorated backs in franchise history. Murray accomplished the feat during his Offensive Player of the Year season in 2014, while Zeke did so on two separate occasions, but most notably during his rookie year in 2016.
For reference, the former signed a five-year, $42 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles the next offseason, while Elliott eventually inked a six-year, $90 million extension with the Cowboys in 2019. That's $8.4 million per year for Murray and $15 million annually for Zeke.
Meanwhile, Williams is making just $8 million a year and $16M in guaranteed money despite the NFL salary cap increasing immensely in the time since these guys signed their contracts. That fact alone turns his new deal with Dallas into one of the best value deals that Jerry Jones has made.
Blair's point is clear: what Williams accomplished in 2025 was overshadowed because the Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and the passing offense got more attention. But now that he's been extended, it won't take much for this contract to age better over time and him to become one of the league's top RBs.
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