FRISCO, Texas — When you catch lightning in a bottle, it would be wise to never open the lid and let it escape. The ĂŰĚŇTV surely carried that thought process in their decision to forego the restricted free agent tender entirely on KaVontae Turpin in 2025, choosing to instead secure him to a three-year deal worth $18 million that will keep in tow through the 2027 season.
He is also the highest-paid special teamer in the entire NFL, and the highest paid by the Cowboys since the days of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
"It's a blessing come true, man," said Turpin shortly after officially putting pen to paper. "Being in all the leagues I've been through in five years, it's just a blessing come true, and I wanna thank God for the blessing."
The journey to this point has been an arduous one for Turpin, to say the least.
From his days at TCU, he has worked to climb into the favor of any NFL team that would give him a chance — dominating in the USFL and being named MVP before the Cowboys' front office saw all they needed to before adding him to the roster in 2022. He'd literally have no time to recover and rest between transferring leagues, but he was still able to earn Pro Bowl honors in his first year as Cowboys' returner.
And before his stint in the USFL, Turpin grinded it out in an attempt to make a name for himself with the now defunct Frisco Fighters, the Glacier Boyz of the also now-defunct Fan Controlled Football league, and even took his chances in Poland as a part of Panthers Worlcaw in 2021.
Yes, Poland, because dedication demands action.
Having overcome so much to achieve two Pro Bowl honors and one as a First-Team All-Pro in 2024, a year in which he also led the league in kickoff return yards, and one that featured his now legendary spin move return for a touchdown that helped deliver a massive upset against the Washington Commanders in Week 12, Turpin has a message for anyone fighting to prove themselves in any facet of their life.
"Keep faith in God and keep faith in yourself, like I did," he said. "It's always been a blessing just to bet on yourself. Go out there and do what you can do."
With the new deal in hand from the Cowboys, what comes next is anyone's guess, in a good way, because the 28-year-old isn't simply the most electric returner in football, but one of the toughest on the roster who has also saw his impact on offense increase year over year in Dallas, leaving many to wonder what his utilization will look like under new head coach and playcaller Brian Schottenheimer.
"When it comes to me, on that field, I'm gonna compete each and every day — like it's my last," said Turpin. "That's just the type of player I am."
Schottenheimer has heaped a ton of praise upon Turpin and projects a powerful impact from him on that side of the ball going forward, but the latter wants to be very clear about one thing in particular.
And that's to not label him a wide receiver anymore.
"Going into the offense, I don't look at myself as a receiver [anymore]," Turpin said. "I look at myself as an offensive weapon. I'm going out there and you can give me carries, give me receptions, and whatever you need me to do. I'll go out there and play tight end, too.
"That's just the kind of competitor I am. I'm going out there to be an offensive weapon. That's my goal."
All indications are he'll be given plenty more opportunities to be exactly that in Dallas.
The Turbo is fully spooled.
