Why Jaguars' Jourdan Lewis Felt it Was Time to Leave Dallas Cowboys

Why did Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis decide to leave the Dallas Cowboys after eight years?

Nov 4, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis (27) celebrates with fans after his fumble return for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

For new Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis, the 2025 offseason was simply the right time for everything.

The right time to bet on himself. The right time to finally make his mark in free agency. And the right time to leave the Dallas Cowboys after eight consistent seasons.

Lewis had been a free agent twice before in his Cowboys career. Each time, he came back to Dallas: first on a three-year, $13.5 million deal. Then again in 2024 on a one-year, $2.87 million deal.

But entering his third free agency and fresh off a career season, Lewis saw the perfect chance to make a clean break and create a new name for himself.

"It's funny. Every offseason, I think I am," Lewis said on Thursday when asked why he moved on from the Cowboys.

"But this time, it just felt a little different. Because, you know, I had the season I had last year, and people started to recognize the type of player I was. So, you know, it couldn't be hidden anymore, and couldn't give me, you know, just the team-friendly deals anymore. So that's when I recognized, when I had the year, and I felt the buzz. I knew that, you know, maybe it might be my time to, you know, separate."

Lewis gave the Cowboys eight great years in their secondary. But after a stellar 2024, Lewis knew it was time to finally cash in on his worth after years as one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the entire NFL entering 2025.

Lewis, who turns 30 in August, was a third-round pick out of Michigan in the 2017 NFL Draft and quickly became one of the faces of the Cowboys' defense.

Lewis spent eight years with the Cowboys, appearing in 115 regular season games and four playoff games. In his tenure with the Cowboys, Lewis recorded 10 interceptions, 44 pass breakups, 9.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, 386 combined tackles, and 275 solo tackles.

Lewis appeared in 16 games for the Cowboys during the 2024 season, recording one interception, eight pass breakups, one forced fumble, one sack, three tackles for loss, and 71 total tackles.

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