Even though George Pickens is the bigger priortity, the Dallas Cowboys would be foolish to let Javonte Williams walk in free agency this offseason as well. The veteran running back is fresh off of his best season as a pro and has an established role of Dallas' feature back of the future if retained.
Williams is expected back, and it's becoming clear that Jerry and Stephen Jones want to make a long-term deal happen. While addressing the media at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, Jones said they're working to bring Williams back next season and are off to a fast start in that area.
"We've certainly visited with Javonte ... We're always visiting with representatives about our players," Jones said.
Jones revealed that the team has visited with the 25-year-old and his representatives in hopes of getting a new deal done before free agency rolls around. Even though nothing is confirmed yet, it's a good sign since it makes it clear that the front offices sees retaining their star RB as a top priority.
Cowboys making it a point to ensure Javonte Williams will be back in 2026
The 2021 second-round pick out of North Carolina ran for 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns this season, which both marked career-highs. He also ranked inside the top 10 among all backs in both statistical categories, which helped to revive a career that was previously on life support, but he did slow down a bit towards the end.
Williams was signed for just $3 million last offseason, but a breakout season has confirmed that price tag will go up by a fair amount. Spotrac projects the fifth-year back's market value has him projected to land a deal within the three-year $22 million range, which comes in around $7.3 million per season.
That's relatively affordable for a player with his track record, but they also compared a new deal of Williams' to the contracts D'Andre Swift and David Montgomery signed these last few years. And it seems like he wants to stay in Dallas even though Jaydon Blue shined with him absent in Week 18.
The main hiccup in agreeing to a new deal is due to the financial pickle the Cowboys find themselves in. The Cowboys are $39 million under the cap threshold, so even though agreeing to an extension will help them save money, they'll need to restructure some deals to find the cap space to do this.
Even though running backs grow on trees nowadays, and this free agency class boasts a strong crop of running backs, both Joneses are well aware of the value they have on their hands. And that's precisely why they're pulling out all the stops to keep Williams in Dallas for a couple more seasons.