FRISCO, Texas — Brevyn Spann-Ford signed a three-year extension with the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 10. Jake Ferguson said Wednesday at The Star that his fellow tight end earned every bit of it.
The extension is worth $18 million with $12.075 million guaranteed, NFL Network reported, and keeps Spann-Ford in Dallas through 2029. He would have been a restricted free agent after this season. Spann-Ford went undrafted out of Minnesota in 2024 and has played in all 34 games since. In 2025, he made his first 5 career starts and caught 9 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He won the No. 2 tight end job in training camp.
Spann-Ford spent the offseason working with Ferguson and Dak Prescott on routes and lifts, Ferguson said.
“Yeah, I think he earned every bit of that,” Ferguson said. “That dude works crazy hard. This entire offseason was with him. Being able to just work together, work with Dak, get routes in, lifts in and here. He motivates me. He’s younger than me, but at the same time, I have times where I do look up to him.”
“And he’s one of those guys that I love playing next to,” Ferguson continued. “And, yeah, he’s just lighting people up, and that’s awesome to see.”
Dallas drafted Ferguson out of Wisconsin in the fourth round in 2022, 129th overall. He caught 82 passes for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2025 and caught 2 touchdown passes against Washington on Sunday. Spann-Ford’s nickname in the room goes back to what Ferguson saw from him in the Big Ten.
“Yeah, that’s his nickname, is the young gladiator in the tight end room,” Ferguson explained. “Just throwing it in there. And I also knew him when he played at Minnesota. So we go back to the Big Ten, Sconnie, the Big Ten. I mean, the best tight ends come from the Big Ten, but that’s okay. But, yeah, he was doing that same thing in Minnesota. So it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Jake Ferguson On Baltimore Ravens Defense
Baltimore is 1-1 after a 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts and a 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Ferguson said the Ravens’ secondary is the strength he sees on film.
“Yeah, they’re a sound defense,” Ferguson said. “They got a lot of pieces that are good. They got Humphrey. Their back end, I think, in my opinion, is very good and very sound. And just going to be a good game.”
The Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Jake Ferguson On Flight To Rio
The Cowboys fly out Thursday night. The team’s nutritionist and training staff are helping players plan their recovery for the trip, Ferguson said.
“Yeah, it definitely brings a different kind of challenge, focusing on your body,” Ferguson said. “And like I said earlier, just having this team, having this group, Scott, the nutritionist, the training staff being able to help us with what kind of recovery we need and what we’re doing for this flight is huge. Yeah, definitely is going to be a little bit different with the flight for sure.”
“But honestly, it just looks like another opportunity to get right,” Ferguson added. “And honestly, if we’re not feeling great, we still got to play. So I don’t think that’s an excuse.”
Ferguson has played in his share of hostile stadiums. Sunday will be different because it is an away game for both teams, he said.
“I really don’t know because I’ve played in my fair share of hostile environments, but it’s going to be different because it’s going to be an away game for both teams,” Ferguson said. “So just very excited to see what the crowd is like and just really excited for whatever comes with it.”
On the flight, he plans to wear compression gear and watch movies.
“Yeah, definitely gonna be having my compression stuff on, just making sure that my body’s being taken care of, and trying to download a couple good movies to watch to pass some time, that type of thing,” Ferguson said.
