Undrafted free agents sign standard three-year contracts that are worth whatever the minimum salary is in those years. In 2026, the standard UDFA deal is worth $3.1 million. However, teams are permitted to offer guarantees to aid their recruitment efforts in signing these players after the draft.
Like most contracts, typically guaranteed money for UDFAs comes in the form of either a signing bonus or a salary guarantee. Teams are restricted by a hard cap on the total amount of signing bonus cash they can offer to UDFAs. This year, that number was around $200,000.
There is no restriction on how much salary teams can guarantee but typically you’ll see teams go for a few hundred thousand at the high end because that’s equal to what a rookie would make for a year on the practice squad. This money is also subject to offsets, which means if a player ends up on a practice squad for another team after his first squad cuts him, the first organization will get a credit for that money back on the salary cap.
Guarantees don’t guarantee an undrafted rookie a spot on the roster but they do tell us which players had a competitive market in post-draft free agency and which players the team has somewhat high initial expectations for. There are UDFAs who play important roles each and every season. For more on potential UDFA standouts from the 2026 class, check out our One UDFA To Watch From Every Team feature.
Here’s how the Cowboys’ 2026 UDFA class stacks up. Data compiled from Over The Cap.
| Player | Pos. | Total Guaranteed | Signing Bonus | Base Guarantee | Total Value |
| D.J. Rogers | TE | $200,000 | $25,000 | $175,000 | $3,125,000 |
| Michael Trigg | TE | $200,000 | $25,000 | $175,000 | $3,125,000 |
| Jordan Hudson | WR | $105,000 | $15,000 | $90,000 | $3,115,000 |
| Camden Brown | WR | $105,000 | $15,000 | $90,000 | $3,115,000 |
| Kelvin Gilliam | IDL | $50,000 | $5,000 | $45,000 | $3,105,000 |
| Tommy Dunn | IDL | $50,000 | $5,000 | $45,000 | $3,105,000 |
| Langston Patterson | LB | $50,000 | $5,000 | $45,000 | $3,105,000 |
| Dominic Richardson | RB | $50,000 | $5,000 | $45,000 | $3,105,000 |
| DJ Withers | IDL | $3,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $3,103,000 |
| Shiyazh Pete | LT | $3,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $3,103,000 |
| D.J. Wingfield | LG | $0 | $0 | $0 | $3,100,000 |
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