Getty

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson.

To most of the football viewing public, how Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson played in 2024 made it seem like his breakout 2023 season was something of a mirage.

Apparently, that part of the football viewing public did not include Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who invested heavily in Ferguson this offseason with a 4-year, $50 million contract extension.

Ferguson has gone about not just silencing the doubters through the first 5 games of the 2025 regular season, but has made NFL history in the process.

“Through the first five games of any season in NFL history, no tight end has had more than the 41 receptions Jake Ferguson has for the Dallas Cowboys,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on October 9.  “Two others had 41: Eric Johnson with the San Francisco 49ers in 2004 and Zach Ertz with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. Ferguson has had at least five catches in each of the first five games. The only other tight end to do that in Cowboys history is Jason Witten, a first-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who did so in 2008.”

Ferguson, who has 41 receptions for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns, is second in the NFL behind just Rams’ wide receiver Puka Nacua with 52 receptions.

Cowboys Ignored Lackluster Season by Ferguson

In signing Ferguson to his big payday, the Cowboys showed they were willing to look past the 2024 season — one in which he had 59 receptions for 494 yards and no touchdowns and missed 3 games due to injuries. He also struggled holding onto the ball with 4 fumbles.

He also was missing his starting quarterback for most of the year after Dak Prescott missed the last 9 games of the season due to a hamstring injury.

Ferguson was a Pro Bowler in 2023 and one of the NFL’s top tight ends with 71 receptions for 761 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Cowboys went 12-5.

Selected in the fourth round (No. 129 overall) by the Cowboys in the 2022 NFL draft, Ferguson was headed into the final season of his 4-year, $4.36 million rookie contract in 2025.

“(Ferguson) all but vanished last year — less than 500 receiving yards and (zero) touchdowns in an injury-marred third NFL season,” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote on June 26. ” … There’s no question CeeDee Lamb is top dog in the Dallas passing attack — he was sixth in the NFL in targets last year after leading the league in 2023. Dallas also traded for wideout George Pickens in the offseason. But Ferguson topped 100 targets two years back, and it’s not that difficult to imagine him doing so again. Given all the questions at running back, the Cowboys could easily be among the NFL’s most pass-heavy teams in 2025.”

Ferguson’s Famous — His Fiance’s More Famous

NFL players like to be the center of attention when it comes to the personal lives — outsized egos and the quest for fame can be an ugly mix.

We can safely assume Ferguson has no such problems in his own personal life, if only because he is engaged to be married to someone who is much, much more famous than the Cowboys tight end will likely ever be.

Ferguson has been in a relationship with former college basketball player and social media influencer Haley Cavinder since 2023 and the sporty couple got engaged in April 2025. Cavinder and her twin sister, Hanna, are 2 of the most well known social media influencers in the United Stats.

Haley has over 1 million followers on her personal Instagram account. By comparison, Ferguson has approximately 172,000 followers on his official Instagram.

Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame