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Cowboys lock in WR3 Ryan Flournoy with one-year extension before Giants trip

Dallas agreed to a one-year extension worth up to $6 million for Ryan Flournoy, securing the No. 3 receiver through 2027 as Sunday Night Football at the Giants approaches.

Theo Vance

September 11, 20262 min read

The Dallas Cowboys closed another piece of their receiving room Thursday, agreeing to a one-year extension with wide receiver Ryan Flournoy worth up to $6 million, ESPN's Todd Archer reported from Frisco, citing sources. Jordan Schultz was first to report the Flournoy deal.

The move keeps Flournoy off the restricted free-agent market after this season and leaves him under contract into 2027. It landed hours after the club reached a separate three-year agreement with tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, a deal NBC 5 and ESPN both detailed as an $18 million package with $12.075 million guaranteed.

A No. 3 who earned the role

Flournoy stepped into the No. 3 receiver job last season and finished with 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns. He posted two 100-yard games, one at the Jets and one at the Lions. Those numbers did not arrive on a straight line.

A 2024 sixth-round pick, he was released before last season, re-signed to the practice squad, and worked his way onto the field through special teams before becoming a trusted target for Dak Prescott.

He enters 2026 as the unquestioned No. 3 behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Archer reported. That clarity matters for an offense that leans on three-receiver looks and needs a reliable option when defenses crowd Lamb and Pickens on the perimeter.

Insurance against a bigger question

Pickens is playing this season on the $27.3 million franchise tag and is set to become an unrestricted free agent afterward, though Dallas can tag him again at roughly $32 million, according to ESPN. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has repeatedly said he wants Pickens in Dallas long term, but a multiyear agreement has not landed.

Flournoy's extension gives the Cowboys a capable pass catcher already secured for 2027 if Pickens does not return.

The same evening's Spann-Ford deal locked in the No. 2 tight end behind Jake Ferguson through 2029. Ferguson signed a four-year, $52 million extension last year. Luke Schoonmaker remains under contract for this season before unrestricted free agency.

Together, the Flournoy and Spann-Ford extensions fit a broader pattern of keeping home-grown depth while bigger tickets - Pickens, and earlier re-signings of Javonte Williams, Brandon Aubrey and Quinnen Williams - define the headline payroll.

Timing ahead of MetLife

Dallas visits the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football at MetLife Stadium, with kickoff set for 8:20 p.m. ET (7:20 p.m. CT) on NBC, per the Giants' game information.

Primetime openers put every snap of the receiving rotation under a national light. Flournoy's deal does not change the Week 1 depth chart so much as it clarifies who Dallas wants available when the calendar turns to 2027.

For a club that has already franchise-tagged Pickens and re-upped several core pieces, the Flournoy extension is a mid-tier commitment with outsized roster value: a proven WR3 at a defined cost, already familiar with Prescott's progressions, and no longer a pending RFA decision hanging over next offseason.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49897976/cowboys-secure-te-spann-ford-three-year-extension-2029

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/blue-star/cowboys-reach-3-year-deal-with-backup-te-brevyn-spann-ford/4075505/

https://www.giants.com/news/giants-vs-cowboys-how-to-watch-listen-live-stream-week-1-x2464

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Theo Vance

Theo Vance writes about Frisco sports, from high school programs to the city's pro and collegiate teams.

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