{"id":86458,"date":"2025-09-01T05:26:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=86458"},"modified":"2025-09-01T05:26:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:26:33","slug":"report-daron-blands-massive-92m-payday-got-graded-in-a-way-cowboys-fans-never-saw-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=86458","title":{"rendered":"Report!! DaRon Bland\u2019s massive $92M payday got graded in a way Cowboys fans never saw coming"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex w-full max-w-[980px] flex-col px-4 pt-4 font-secondary lg:px-0\">\n<h3 id=\"main-title-3505188\" class=\"mb-4 font-primary text-3xl font-bold text-[#141414] lg:text-5xl\">Grading DaRon Bland\u2019s $92 million contract extension with Cowboys<\/h3>\n<p class=\"dek prose mb-2.5 italic text-secondary\">Jerry Jones gives star cornerback DaRon Bland a $92 million extension to remain with Cowboys&#8217; defense through 2029 season<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full max-w-[980px] flex-row gap-5\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col lg:max-w-[660px]\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aspect-video w-full max-w-full object-contain object-center px-4 lg:px-0\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Grading-DaRon-Blands-92-million-contract-extension-with-Cowboys.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Cowboys CB DaRon Bland with Dallas Cowboys logo in background\" \/><\/figure>\n<article class=\"article-body prose max-w-none pb-7 pt-5 prose-figure:max-w-full prose-ol:pl-10 prose-img:max-w-full prose-video:max-w-full md:prose-ol:pl-6 [&amp;_iframe]:m-auto [&amp;_iframe]:block [&amp;_iframe]:max-w-full\">Jerry Jones could not get it done with Micah Parsons, but he\u00a0closed the deal with DaRon Bland\u00a0by giving the cornerback a $92 million extension on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The Pro Bowler will now remain with the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys&#8217; defense through the 2029 season.<\/p>\n<p>Bland, 26, played just seven games in 2024 after beginning the season on injured reserve with a stress fracture in his foot. As a result, his numbers were down across the board, and he failed to record an interception for the first time in his brief career.<\/p>\n<p>However, Bland was a force in 2023, when he established himself as one of the best defensive playmakers in the league. Following a promising rookie campaign, Bland recorded nine interceptions in year two and led the league with five defensive touchdowns. He added 15 pass breakups and three tackles for loss to become a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys felt Bland&#8217;s impact in the 10 games he missed in 2024. After boasting an elite defense in 2023, Dallas took a significant step back last season. They allowed 218.1 passing yards per game, ranking 18th, and the sixth-highest completion percentage against opposing air attacks.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys certainly want Bland to stick around, but the timing of the extension will likely spark controversy.\u00a0Dallas fans are nearly at their wits&#8217; end with Jones\u00a0after the Parsons fiasco, and handing out a lucrative deal just days after merely rubs salt into the wound.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Jones is rectifying his mistakes, but the Parsons headline casts a vast shadow over what should be a celebratory moment for Bland. Nevertheless, Bland will remain in Dallas for at least four more seasons under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Cowboys&#8217; Daron Bland extension grade<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3482957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3482957\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3482957\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DaRon-Bland.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DaRon-Bland.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DaRon-Bland.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DaRon-Bland.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DaRon-Bland.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DaRon-Bland.jpg?resize=150,84 150w\" alt=\"Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) during training camp\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3482957\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bland is certainly a player the Cowboys had to extend, but he enters the 2025 season with multiple asterisks. The injury is an obvious concern, particularly with Dallas looking to change his position.<\/p>\n<p>Although Bland is arguably the team&#8217;s best man-to-man cornerback, Dallas is shifting him into the slot. The Cowboys signed ex-Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam in free agency and subsequently listed Bland as a nickelback on their unofficial depth chart. The shift came after the team\u00a0lost longtime nickelback Jourdan Lewis to the Jacksonville Jaguars\u00a0in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>The position change is likely a formality, as Bland has played all over the field when healthy. Regardless, it is yet another note to keep an eye on as he seeks a bounce-back year in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>By giving him an extension in 2025, Dallas is committing to Bland a year early. That could be to avoid potential market inflation, but perhaps the disastrous Parsons situation is already giving Jerry Jones nightmares. Either way, the Cowboys are taking somewhat of a risk on a player who has just one elite season to his name.<\/p>\n<p>Bland&#8217;s $92 million deal includes\u00a0$50 million guaranteed, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. His $23 million average annual salary also makes him the sixth-highest-paid cornerback in the league.<\/p>\n<p>When he is fully healthy, Bland certainly plays like a top-10 cornerback. There is some risk in signing him this early due to his foot injury, but Bland has otherwise been a durable player throughout his career. For the most part, he also looked like his old self once he returned to the field in Week 12.<\/p>\n<p>There seemed to be some urgency in extending players like Bland after how the Cowboys&#8217; 2025 offseason ended. That does not make it a bad deal, as Bland has earned every cent of his $92 million deal thus far.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Grading DaRon Bland\u2019s $92 million contract extension with Cowboys Jerry Jones gives star cornerback DaRon Bland a $92 million extension to remain with Cowboys&#8217; defense through 2029&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":86459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Report!! 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