Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz likely to earn massive payday in free agency
Dalton Schultz’s phone is about to start ringing, and on the other end will be lots of lots of dollar signs. The 26-year-old is set to hit free agency next week, and the former fourth-round pick out of Stanford is primed to be sitting there as the top tight end available in this year’s class.
Schultz finished the 2022 season ranked second among all Cowboys in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, and he did so while making $10.9 million on the franchise tag. A second tag would have cost the Cowboys over $13 million.
The front office was clearly unwilling to do that, instead using the tag to secure Tony Pollard for the upcoming season.
Now Schultz stands to earn even more out on the open market.
Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team lists Schultz as one of 10 free agents who’s about to land a bigger payday than many might be expecting, with a new contract coming- from someone- that will put him in the uppermost echelon of tight end salaries.
Over the past three seasons, only seven tight ends have gained more than 2,000 receiving yards. Schultz is one of them, joining Travis Kelce, George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, and Darren Waller.
Matching that kind of production should indeed net Schultz a fat contract, especially given the small inventory of available tight ends. With Evan Engram having already been locked up by the Jaguars via the franchise tag, teams in need of veteran starting help at the position are looking at the likes of Mike Gesicki, Hayden Hurst, Robert Tonyan, Foster Moreau, or Austin Hooper.
All are solid players, but Schultz would likely be considered a better option.
Meirov thinks Schultz will easily top $10 million per year on a new deal. Spotrac projects an even higher number, an average annual salary of $15.1 million. That figure would make Schultz the second-highest-paid tight end in terms of AAV, just eking out Kittle and coming in behind Waller.
Spotrac is estimating that Schultz will get a four-year contract worth $60.6 million; that would also rank second, behind only Kittle, in terms of total value.
The question, ultimately, is whether Schultz is truly one of the top two or three tights ends in the game. He’s been an integral part of the Cowboys offense over the past three seasons, but the organization obviously feels his production can be largely replaced by a Jake Ferguson/Peyton Hendershot/Sean McKeon/rookie-to-be-named-later rotation… and at a much more modest price.
Schultz’s new team will be hoping that his arrow is still trending upward, and they’ll likely make him one of the best-paid tight ends in the league in order to try to prove it.
