From Dallas Cowboys On SI · · 2m
A $6M tight end bet the Cowboys got right
Tucker Kraft just reset the tight end market at $19.66M a year, which makes Dallas locking up Brevyn Spann-Ford at $6M look like theft.
In brief
Tucker Kraft just reset the tight end market at $19.66M a year, which makes Dallas locking up Brevyn Spann-Ford at $6M look like theft. Paying a young player before the market does is the cheapest leverage a front office has, and Dallas finally used it. Originally reported by Dallas Cowboys On SI.
A busy week in Dallas
While finishing prep for a Week 1 opener against the Giants, the Cowboys quietly handled business off the field.
Two extensions, no headlines
Dallas extended backup tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and rising receiver Ryan Flournoy. Neither move shifted the market, both should matter later.
Proactive, which is new
The Cowboys signed both players early rather than waiting. That keeps them under contract at prices well below where the market is headed.
Then Green Bay paid up
On Saturday morning the Packers and Tucker Kraft agreed to four years and $75 million, worth up to $92 million, with a $26.5 million signing bonus.
The new top of the market
Kraft caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns last season. At roughly $19.66 million a year, he is now the highest paid tight end in football.
Six million a year
Spann-Ford signed for $18 million over three years, keeping him in Dallas through 2029. Against Kraft's number, that average salary looks like a steal.
Getting ahead of the market
Cowboys fans are not used to seeing the front office move first. If the bet lands, the forward thinking pays off for years.
From undrafted to locked up
Spann-Ford joined Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and was headed for restricted free agency. The team extended him before he ever hit the open market.
Built like a problem
At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, he is already an exceptional run blocker and pass protector. Brian Schottenheimer thinks the receiving part is coming.
Seven pounds of muscle
Schottenheimer says Spann-Ford added lean mass over the offseason and moves well for his size, a mismatch waiting on linebackers and safeties.
“This guy is not just a run blocker and a pass protector. This guy can be a weapon because of his size in the middle of the field”
He already belongs
The coaching staff says Spann-Ford never looked overwhelmed, and he is pushing Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker on the depth chart.
“It doesn't matter how I got here, I belong here.”
Cap room buys time
He is not in Kraft's tier yet, but he has three years to get there. Cheap production at tight end keeps Dak Prescott's Super Bowl window open longer.
At a glance
Paying a young player before the market does is the cheapest leverage a front office has, and Dallas finally used it.
