Jake Ferguson broke out in 2023 on the field, setting career-highs in every receiving category and making the Pro Bowl as an alternate. He also became a celebrity off the field after revealing that he was dating women’s college basketball star Haley Cavinder.
Their relationship was on full display on Tuesday, when the soon-to-be TCU Horned Frogs point guard posted a series of images of herself vacationing in Santa Lucia in the Carribean with the Dallas Cowboys tight end:
In a late-January YouTube Q&A, Cavinder revealed that she first met Ferguson via social media in June in Florida, where he has a residence. From there, things took off:
“He DM’d me. We went on a date and just kinda met up — and then hung out for 10 days straight.
“It was so fun because it was the Fourth of July weekend, we were always seeing each other, but it just took time… and then we started dating in October.”
Before Jake Ferguson, the Dallas Cowboys’ primary tight end role was held by Dalton Schultz, who recently had some strong words about his former team.
Earlier this month, the 2018 fourth-round pick received a three-year, $36-million extension from the Houston Texans. A few days after that, on The Pat McAfee Show, he called his current team more football-focused than the Cowboys:
“It feels more like- I don’t want to say college, because it’s not- but the focus is just football.
“Going back and telling some people what being around the Cowboys is like… that surprised a lot of people. Like, ‘Holy crap, that actually happens, like, at a practice facility?’ You think it’s normal, and then you come to a place like this…”
He even cited the example of having to deal with fans doing guided tours of The Star, the Cowboys’ practice facility in the suburb of Frisco:
“Like, there’s people literally going on tours while you’re lifting in the weight room.
“And they’ve got, like, a one-way mirror for people to look. Literally, it’s a zoo, dude. People tapping on the glass trying to get people’s attention as they’re doing power cleans or whatnot.”
A displeased Jake Ferguson posted on his Instagram Story in response:
For more context, Schultz, who spent his first two seasons mainly as a third-stringer, immediately excelled on being thrust to a starting role in 2020, tallying 63 receptions for 615 yards and four touchdowns. The next year, he would get better in 2021 with 78 for 808 and eight
However, he injured his PCL in 2022, causing a statistical regression. During that time, Jake Ferguson, a rookie who was also seleted in the fourth round, got more minutes and became the starter in 2023 after Schultz’s departure to the Texans.
