FRISCO - "Selectively aggressive''? This move is so obvious it doesn't even count as fitting under the Dallas Cowboys' front office's new offseason mantra.
Except the Cowboys just did the "obvious' ... times three.
A source tells CowboysCountry.com that Dallas has jumped from the first step here - making sure the standout kick returner KaVontae Turpin will be retained via the use of a tender offer - has jumped to another step.
Which is? Turpin now has a new three-year deal that pays him $18 million, a team source tells CowboysCountry.com ... making him the NFL's highest-paid special-teamer.
Turpin was a restricted free agent so Dallas had contractual control here, and could have simply exercised that with the second-round tender.
By doing so, the return man - arguably the NFL's best after coming to Dallas via the USFL - would have played in 2025 with a salary of $5.346 million.
Should a team want to pluck him away, they would have had to sacrifice a second-round pick.
But that's not available to the competition now ... and Turpin is no longer a short-term thing here.
Turpin was a first-team All-Pro as a returner in 2024 as he in spectacular fashion returning a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns this year.
He has made a pair of Pro Bowls as a returner in his first three NFL seasons and he has also contributed as a ball-carrier and as a receiver; last year he caught 44 passes for 556 yards and five touchdowns.
"I'm grateful, thank the Lord, two years out of three," Turpin said when he got that Pro Bowl news. "I'm just grateful to showcase my ability on special teams. I'm competitive, little guy, 5-9, 150 pounds going out there competing on a big level with the big guys/
"I go out there and compete no matter what, just go out there and just be me."
Turpin lead the NFL in kick return yards per game and kick return yards. ... earning the praise of former Dallas coach Mike McCarthy.
"He's probably one of the most fluent athletes that I've had the privilege of working with," McCarthy said. "He has the speed and the way he can change gears, he's a special talent."
Dallas has some big business to do in free agency, with some tough calls to make, But once Turpin said yes to this? Keeping KaVontae this way? That's an easy one.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 11:33 AM.