Dallas Cowboys Decline Fifth Year Option On Former 1st Round Pick

The Dallas Cowboys defense is under a lot of pressure in 2025. Last season, the unit was one of the worst in the league, mostly due to the inability to stop the pass. Injuries played a part, but they needed better play out of the secondary. In the offseason, they looked to bolster the unit by trading for former first-round pick Kaiir Elam. They got him from the Buffalo Bills for a few day three picks, but had a decision about his fifth-year option this offseason. The team announced on Thursday that they are declining to pick up the option on Elam.

Dallas Cowboys Decline Option On CB Kaiir Elam

The #Cowboys are not picking up the fifth-year option of corner Kaiir Elam, acquired in a trade with Buffalo this offseason. This was largely expected, as the option would have paid him around $12.7M for 2026.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 1, 2025

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Dallas Cowboys will not pick up the $12.7 million extension for 2026. He will be paid $2.6 million in the last year of his rookie contract and hit unrestricted free agency next year. For Elam, he now has one year to prove he is worthy of a long-term contract. He was a solid piece for the Buffalo Bills, but not anything special.

Elam missed most of the 2023 season due to injury. He hasn’t had an interception in the past two seasons and has only started 12 games in his career. The Bills decided they would rather have the draft pick and traded him to the Dallas Cowboys in March. He joins a secondary with Tre’von Diggs and DaRon Bland, who are looking to have bounce-back years.

2025 Outlook

The Dallas Cowboys have a tall task ahead of them in 2025. Getting some key players back from injury will help, but they are in one of the toughest divisions in football. The Philadelphia Eagles are the defending champs, and the Washington Commanders are loading up for another deep playoff run. Even the New York Giants have improved over last year and won’t be a pushover.

They also have questions on the sidelines. Brian Schottenheimer has been an offensive coordinator for a long time, but this is his first head coaching position. Dak Prescott is also coming off a major injury, and there is no telling what he will look like. There are many questions that make predicting the 2025 season very difficult.

Final Thoughts

This is a smart move by the Dallas Cowboys. Players will often have career years on one-year deals. The team also has a ton of money tied up in long-term deals and doesn’t want to add another person to the books. This is a huge year for the Cowboys. Can they rebound after last year’s disappointment?