Cowboys have only extended two first-round picks in first year of eligibility over last decade

The Cowboys have been shy with extending first-round draft picks in their first year of eligibility over the last decade.

It is important to understand that the 2011 CBA changed a lot for the NFL, its owners and the players. What made the 2011 CBA (and all that have followed) notable relative to the past was the introduction of a rookie salary cap, so to speak. Prior to then any player drafted in to the NFL was free to negotiate whatever deal that they wanted which, as you likely remember, led to some massive contracts (relative to the time) for players who had never taken a snap at the professional level.

As noted, that all changed since 2011. It made drafting right, and ensuring that you were getting legitimate production from your draft picks while they were on rookie contracts, essential. Elite front offices began to evolve after that and recognized that beating the market for extensions for these players kept them on the cheapest possible contracts at a veteran level. With players needing three years of service in the NFL to be eligible for an extension, teams could extend their superstars after their third year in the name of achieving this goal.

Stars are found all over the place, but obviously the odds of finding them are highest in the first round. We talk often about the success that the Dallas Cowboys have had in the first round in the time in question, but interestingly they have not necessarily exploited the ability to get them on the cheapest possible deals (that’s some loose verbiage, but you get the point) when the players in question get their first veteran contracts.

Since the 2011 CBA the Cowboys have only signed 3 first-round picks to extensions at their first point of eligibility

An NFL player is first eligible for an extension after their third year of service. Looking back at the 2011 CBA, that means that the first drafted player for the Cowboys to be eligible for an extension for the first time in their career was Tyron Smith in 2014.

You likely remember that Dallas signed Tyron to an eight-year deal in the summer of 2014 that became a fountain of salary cap space for them over the ensuing years. It was a visionary type of contract, and that the Cowboys got it done at Smith’s first point of eligibility was a true act of financial brilliance.

Since then, we have seen the Cowboys be rather shy with getting ahead of the curve on players drafted in the first round specifically. Only Travis Frederick and Ezekiel Elliott received their extensions from the team at their first point of eligibility, and the latter had to hold out in order to make it happen.

There is some important context needed for a handful of these situations.

Morris Claiborne and Leighton Vander Esch were not extended by the Cowboys, and neither of them had their fifth-year option picked up. For those unaware, first-round picks can have that option picked up after their third year in the league. Dallas declined it for both Claiborne and Vander Esch, but interestingly was able to bring them each back on deals after the fact. Claiborne returned to Dallas on a one-year deal in 2016 in what would have been his fifth-year option season, and Vander Esch did the same in 2022 before signing a two-year deal after that. But using our technical definition, they were not extended.

Byron Jones did not receive an extension from the Cowboys and did not receive a second contract from the team at all. He left after the 2019 season (his fifth-year option season) for the Miami Dolphins in free agency.

Interestingly Taco Charlton also wound up with the Miami Dolphins after leaving the Cowboys, but he was dismissed early and didn’t even finish out his rookie contract. He is the only person on this list for whom that is the case.

Back to the main point though, the Cowboys talk often about wanting to pay their own. It is fair for them to take pride in drafting players and keeping them around for a long time. Zack Martin just retired and did so in a celebration after having a storied career with the team.

It was obvious that Martin was a player of that variety in his first season of eligibility for a contract extension, but the Cowboys did not capitalize on that. The same was arguably true for Byron Jones, but it was certainly true for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. The former had to wait until after fourth season and had to hold out to get his deal while the latter just finished his fourth season. The opportunity to get to Lamb and Parsons early came and went for Dallas. Time will tell if it is something they jump on with Tyler Smith.

This list represents 11 players (not counting Tyler Smith who just became eligible) who the team had opportunities to get deals done with. Not every player was worth it and in certain situations the Cowboys were wise to wait. Fair is fair in that sense.

But there are only three players on this list who received contract extensions at the earliest, and therefore cheapest, possible times in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Ezekiel Elliott. Like Lamb, Zeke had to hold out to get that deal. If we acknowledge that his situation is different from the others in that sense this means that there have only been two instances in which the team moved with proactivity relative to a first-round pick.

Stating the obvious here, this disposition needs to change. To be clear, this is true for players drafted in any round, but first-rounders are obviously taken with the hope that they will be pinnacles and cornerstones for the franchise for years to come.