Cowboys, Malik Hooker agree to 3-year extension worth up to $24M; Mike McCarthy praises safety’s impact

Cowboys safety Malik Hooker has agreed to a three-year contract extension that is worth up to $24 million, the team announced. The deal includes $16.5 million guaranteed and an $8 million signing bonus due within the next 15 days. 

“Malik is… I remember when he came to us in training camp [2021] and getting going coming off the injuries, and once he was able to get himself healthy, he’s been so consistent,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said at training camp in Oxnard, California on Saturday. “So impactful. He carries a lot of weight in the locker room. He’s extremely respected by his teammates, and he’s an incredible football player. You see the range that he has and his ball skills…He’s an exceptional athlete that does a great, great job commanding the back end for us.”   

Hooker is the third defensive back the Cowboys have extended this offseason. The team recently came to terms with cornerback Trevon Diggs on a five-year, $97 million extension that will keep the former first-round pick in Dallas through the 2028 season. They also re-signed safety Donovan Wilson to a three-year, $21 million contract just before the start of free agency back in March. 

“I’m always about signing your own players,” McCarthy said. “To me, that’s the most important component of free agency that exists. Any time as a coach that you sell your players on buying into the program, buying into the process, and then the ability to have them for a second contract, that’s what breeds the continuity and the consistency that we’re all after. I think it’s great when we’re able to sign our current players back to another contract.”

A former first-round pick, Hooker spent his first five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. While he was a good player when healthy, Hooker dealt with injuries throughout his time in Indianapolis. 

…..

Read More

You might like