Cowboys $50 Million TE Jake Ferguson Makes NFL History
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.
Colts' Johnathan Edwards Slowly Earning Role on Defense
The Indianapolis Colts' cornerback room has been decimated by injuries and poor play this season. A position that seemed like a strength coming into the year has been worn down to a nub just over a month into the year.
Luckily, undrafted cornerback Johnathan Edwards has been a bright spot in his very limited role through five games.
The Colts' cornerback situation looked promising coming into the summer. Charvarius Ward was the big ticket free agent signing, Jaylon Jones was coming off a strong second season, Justin Walley looked like a steal in the third round, and players like JuJu Brents and Samuel Womack III looked poised to fill out the depth on the roster. Unfortunately, from there, disaster struck the room.
While Ward has remained healthy at the top of the roster thus far, the rest of the room hasn't been as lucky. Jones went down with a hamstring injury late in camp and reaggravated the injury in week one against the Miami Dolphins.
Walley went down with a torn ACL early in August and went on season-ending injured reserve. Womack and Brents were deemed to not be scheme fits, as both players were waived in final cutdowns.
With the entire room essentially being reworked (and I didn't even mention the Xavien Howard signing and retirement in that group of players), the Colts are now relying on Mekhi Blackmon and Edwards to hold down the fort on the outside. Blackmon has been up and down as the starter, but Edwards has shown real promise in his limited, sub-package role thus far.
Edwards has appeared in 28 snaps over the past three weeks, logging a season-high 17 in the win over the Raiders. He may be the Ashton Dulin of the defense, a specialist designated to a handful of snaps per game, but he has been clutch in those snaps.
He has already logged two pass break-ups on third down this season and has been outstanding in man coverage when called upon.
Another notable factor in all this is how difficult it is for young, inexperienced players to find a role on Lou Anarumo's defense. He is infamously strict with young players and won't hesitate to pull the plug if a role players struggles. Even when asked about Edwards' play as of late, Anarumo had cautious praise for the young cornerback:
"Johnathan (Edwards), knock on wood, has done some good things as well. He's a young guy, undrafted guy, who's still trying to find his way in the league. Super, super young. He's a talented guy. So, I'm happy he had a big pass breakup on a deep ball. So, that position requires a lot of things, but confidence is at the top of the list. So, I'm happy that those guys did well."
While Anarumo may be mincing about how he feels about Edwards, he can't hide the fact that the young player is doing everything asked of him so far this season. Even if he hasn't fully gained the trust of the coaches quite yet, they clearly see a long term role for him with this team.
