When it comes to breakout cornerbacks, Dallas Cowboys defensive back DaRon Bland certainly fits the mold, having caught a league-leading nine interceptions in his second season, en route to an All-Pro selection.

Bland was a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but quickly ascended to a key role in the NFL, recording five interceptions and seven pass breakups as a rookie, where he played in 17 games and started eight.

Then, as a second-year pro, Bland took his play one step further with nine interceptions, 15 pass breakups, and five defensive touchdowns as a full-time starter, earning First-Team All-Pro honors.

Unfortunately, his 2024 season was hindered by a stress fracture in his foot, limiting Bland to just the final seven games of the year, where he did not record an interception.

Now, the Cowboys cornerback is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, where he has a lot to prove in hopes of a long-term contract. It doesn’t seem that Bland and the Cowboys are looking for an extension before the season, with Micah Parsons being the top priority.

So, let’s gauge what a potential extension could look like next offseason with a healthy year from Bland.

Baseline numbers for a Daron Bland Cowboys contract

Bland will essentially be entering free agency and seeking a new deal, be it with the Cowboys or another team next offseason. His case is interesting, as he’s certainly built up the ball production, but had injuries this past season and will need to prove himself again in 2025.

Looking at other contracts, L’Jarius Sneed’s four-year, $76.4 million deal immediately comes to mind as a solid baseline. Sneed had 3.5 years as a full-time starter and was one of the best in man coverage, but Bland counters that with the ball production, making it a fair comparison.

In a similar ballpark, Tyson Campbell’s four-year, $76.5 million deal makes sense as one to watch. Campbell was an underrated defender for much of his rookie deal, but he dealt with injuries as well, playing 11 games in Year 2 and 12 games in Year 3.

The floor for Bland should be Paulsen Adebo’s three-year, $54 million deal with the New York Giants in free agency this offseason.

If Bland is to hit free agency, his market value could rise a bit, given the number of teams needy for cornerbacks.

Projecting Daron Bland’s next contract

Bland is one of a few key Cowboys expected to play on the final year of their rookie deals. If he does test the open market, given that he has another strong year, Bland should exceed the baselines set above, as the salary cap is continuing to rise and he plays a premium position.

A four-year deal would make sense for Bland, which would take him through his age-30 season, putting him in line to earn another deal if his play continues. The $20 million figure could very well be realistic, but my projection will fall just shy of that, as there’s a plethora of cornerbacks between the $19 million and $20 million range.

Guaranteed money will matter here, but that number has primarily been around $50-55 million for the cornerbacks listed above, which shouldn’t change much for Bland on a new deal.

If that’s the structure, it would give the Cowboys cornerback two years of fully guaranteed money, including some of the third year guaranteed. Of course, this is dependent on a bounce-back season for Bland, but being in the top 10 for cornerbacks is certainly a realistic possibility, assuming that’s the case.