Dallas has locked up one of its All-Pro defenders for the long term.
The Cowboys agreed to terms with cornerback DaRon Bland on a four-year, $92 million contract extension that includes $50 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday. The team announced Bland's deal shortly after.
Bland's average annual salary of $23 million makes him the sixth-highest-paid cornerback in the league.
"I'm so happy for him," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of Bland. "Just the way he's worked. Shot onto the scene a couple years ago and made an immediate impact as a rookie playing nickel and doing things like that. To see him a couple years after that with all the pick-sixes. I'm so happy for him and his family. … He's such a humble young man. But so well-deserved. He's one of those guys that you love him as a teammate, you love him as a competitor. Doesn't say much, but, man, he gives you everything he's got."
Bland, a one-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro from his nine-interception 2023 campaign in which he delivered a record-setting five pick-sixes, is part of a prolific CB duo with Trevon Diggs. He had expressed a desire for a contract to come to fruition before Dallas plays in the Kickoff Game against the Eagles, and the Cowboys made it happen with four days to spare.
Bland has 14 career interceptions to go along with 164 tackles, 27 passes defensed and a forced fumble. He notably missed the team's first 10 games last season due to injury, and did not deliver any INTs through seven contests after putting up a torrid pace of picks across his first two campaigns, but Bland has undeniably outplayed his expectations as a 2022 fifth-rounder.
He extends his stay playing for a Dallas defense now orchestrated by coordinator Matt Eberflus.
The Cowboys were just below league average in 2024 against the pass, ranking 17th in yards allowed. They were picked apart a bit more in terms of preventing scores through the air -- their 28 passing TDs against ranked 24th.
Bland, of course, will play a pivotal role in helping improve in both of those areas as he heads into his fourth NFL season healthy.
His signing is likely to draw extra attention coming in the wake of Dallas agreeing to a blockbuster trade with the Packers to send former teammate Micah Parsons away rather than pay him.
Bland's deal is much more tenable than Parsons' annual average salary of $47 million, though, especially as the Cowboys are already paying premium bucks for quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Keeping the cornerback under contract beyond his rookie deal is exactly the type of team building Jerry Jones mentioned would be more easily accomplished in bypassing an edge market reset with Parsons. Plus, getting it done early is also a change in operation from how Dallas managed previous contracts.
It remains to be seen if these dominoes falling the way they have leads to success.
For now, the Cowboys can be happy with Bland sticking around for years to come.
