On Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys once again stirred up the NFL world by dishing out a new $92 million contract extension to cornerback DaRon Bland. Bland has been one of the best defensive backs in the league for quite some time now and will be staying in Dallas for years to come.
Later in the day on Sunday, Bland got 100% candid on his reaction to the new extension.
“I was kinda surprised. I was a little bit dumbfounded. I can’t believe I’m going to making that much doing what I do. … I thank God, because not many fifth-rounders get the opportunities that I had and be in this league and be able to do what I do,” said Bland, per Jon Machota of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.
Bland has been known as one of the best playmakers out of the cornerback position for multiple years now. In fact, back in the 2023 season, Blair set an NFL record with five pick sixes in the same campaign.
Hectic times for the Cowboys
DaRon Bland's extension comes just three days after the Dallas Cowboys traded away their best player in Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, bringing back two first round picks in the process.
That move brought an end to the Parsons contract saga, which had been the defining story of the offseason for the Cowboys, and also brought a slew of backlash against Jerry Jones from Dallas fans, who only six months ago saw the Mavericks trade away their own 26 year-old star player, Luka Doncic, to the Los Angeles Lakers.
If they're able to stay reasonably healthy, the Cowboys should at least field a competitive team in the upcoming 2025 NFL season, although they do have the misfortune of playing in the vaunted NFC East, which features the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles as well as the conference runner-up Washington Commanders.
Still, with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens healthy, the Cowboys should at least have a strong offensive attack, and they'll still have an elite defensive back in Bland on the roster.
The Cowboys will get their first shot at the Eagles when the two teams kick off the 2025 season on Thursday night.
