Javonte Williams Signs 3-Year Extension After Career Renaissance With Cowboys

After a career renaissance with the Dallas Cowboys, running back Javonte Williams is staying for the long haul.

Williams signed a 3-year, $24 million extension with the Cowboys on Saturday.

Williams was drafted by the Denver Broncos, but never broke out in his career there. After signing with Dallas on a prove-it deal, he had the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career and contributed to a Cowboys offense that ranked second in total yards per game.

According to Spotrac, the full deal includes $16 million in guaranteed money. His contract ranks 13th in the NFL in terms of total value and 16th in average annual value.

Williams was drafted 35th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he served in a backup role behind veteran Melvin Gordon. He exploded onto the scene thanks to his contact balance and ability to break tackles. He finished his rookie season with 203 carries for 903 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 43 receptions for 316 yards and 3 TDs as a receiver.

In 2022, he played in just 4 games before suffering a devastating knee injury: tears to both his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and the posterolateral corner. He came back to have another 1,000 scrimmage yard season in 2023, carrying the ball 217 times for 774 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 47 receptions for 228 yards and 2 scores. There was optimism he would return to form in 2024, and while he emerged as a blocker and had his best season catching the ball out of the backfield, he never quite returned to his rookie season form. He finished the season with 139 carries for 513 yards and 4 touchdowns, and added 52 receptions for 346 yards.

The Broncos moved on from Williams in the 2025 offseason. He signed with the Cowboys on a one-year, $3.5 million deal. In Dallas, he returned to his rookie season form and then some, resulting in his best season running the ball. He had 252 carries for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns—the same number as his first three seasons combined—and added 35 catches for 137 yards and 2 scores.

Williams’s rushing helped elevate the Cowboys offense to second place in the NFL in total offense, at 391.9 yards per game. Dallas ranked ninth in the league in rushing yardage at 125.6 yards per game. The Cowboys also ranked seventh in scoring at 27.7 points per game.

Both Williams and the Cowboys expressed mutual interest in a reunion late last season.

“Javonte is at the top of our list to go out and sign, and we want to bring him back,” Cowboys co-owner, CEO, and Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Stephen Jones said at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January. “We want to sign him to a multiple-year deal … It’s my understanding he really wants to be back as well, which is helpful, but certainly that’s one of our priorities, is to get him re-signed.”

Williams also expressed his interest in a reunion.

“I love it here,” he said at a press conference in December. “I love my teammates. I love everybody. So, I mean, we’re just going to keep going there and see how these last three games go.”

Even though the Cowboys had been eliminated from playoffs at the time, Williams said his priority was chasing success, and he felt like the Cowboys gave him the best opportunity to achieve that.

“You don’t always want to just follow money or things like that,” he said. You want to go somewhere where you actually want to succeed and be a part of something that’s special. I feel like it’s very special here.”

Re-signing Williams cements a young running back room. Williams’ backup last year, former undrafted free agent Malik Davis, finished the year with 52 touches for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns; he is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason. The Cowboys also have two rookies on the roster: speedy Jaydon Blue, whom the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round of last year’s draft; and bruiser Phil Mafah, whom they drafted in the seventh round.

The Cowboys are also one of a few teams that carry a fullback on their roster, namely third-year pro Hunter Luepke. Veteran Miles Sanders, whom the team also signed in 2025, is set to become a free agent.