‘It’s Time to Cut Jake Ferguson,’ ‘Why Is He on the Team?’ — Calls Mount for the Cowboys to Part Ways With $50,000,000 TE

Jake Ferguson caught three passes on six targets for 19 yards as the Dallas Cowboys fell 24-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 on Thursday night. It was another forgettable outing from a tight end who signed a four-year, $50 million extension and has spent most of this season either invisible or a liability.

The performance reignited a wave of frustration from Cowboys fans who have grown tired of waiting for Ferguson to justify his contract. By the end of the game, calls to release him were coming from every direction.

Cowboys Fans Call for Jake Ferguson to Be Cut After Another Disappearing Act

Ferguson signed a four-year, $50 million extension with Dallas last year, locking him in through 2029 with $28.4 million in practical guarantees, according to Spotrac. The expectation was that the deal would include a reliable weapon at a position where the Cowboys had committed significant resources.

Ferguson has three touchdowns in five games this season, including two in a single outing in Week 2, but has totaled just 36 yards on eight receptions across the three games where he did not find the end zone.

In Week 5 against Tampa Bay, with Dallas trailing and needing contributions across the board, a pass went through his hands. It hit his facemask, resulting in an interception that ended any real hope of a comeback.

The reaction from fans and media did not take long.

“It’s time to cut Jake Ferguson,” Marcus Mosher, host of “Locked On Cowboys” wrote.

It’s time to cut Jake Ferguson

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) October 9, 2026

“Jake Ferguson seriously has no talent. He fumbles once every 19 touches. He drops everything. Why is he on the team?” PFN’s fantasy football analyst Jason Katz wrote.

105.3 The Fan’s Shan Shariff kept it to the point. “Jake Freaking Ferguson. Way more letdown than success. Replace him,” Shan Shariff, host of “Shan & RJ” wrote.

Jake Freaking Ferguson

Way more letdown than success

Replace him

— Shan Shariff (@1053SS) October 9, 2026

The rest of the responses were in the same lane.

“Jake Ferguson is [expletive] worthless,” wrote one user.

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“Get Jake Ferguson off my football team,” said another.

“Jake Ferguson is the worst to ever do it,” opined one fan.

jake ferguson is the worst to ever do it

— Davis Mattek (@DavisMattek) October 9, 2026

“Jake Ferguson is awful at football I pray the Cowboys get a good tight end someday,” Three Cone from “Two Man Game” podcast wrote.

Analyst Tom Downey shared a quip after the play. “You can cut Jake Ferguson Aka Mr. Haley Cavinder,” Tom Downey wrote.

You can cut Jake Ferguson

Aka

Mr. Haley Cavinder

— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) October 9, 2026

According to PFN’s NFL TE Impact metrics, Ferguson ranks 33rd among tight ends through five games of the 2026 season with a grade of 67.2, hauling in 15 receptions for 102 yards and three touchdowns on 21 targets for the Cowboys.

The overall picture of Ferguson’s season has been arguably one where he shows up when Dallas is winning comfortably and disappears when they need him.

He caught just two passes for six yards in a Week 1 loss to the Giants, then broke out with four receptions, 43 yards, and two touchdowns in a 37-20 Week 2 win over Washington.

A touchdown in Week 3’s 34-31 loss to Baltimore kept him relevant in the conversation, but three catches for 11 yards against Houston in Week 4 and another three-catch, 19-yard showing against Tampa Bay in Week 5 have reinforced the pattern. Ferguson is a touchdown-or-bust option with little to offer when he is not scoring.