OXNARD, Calif. — As Malik Hooker went through individual drills and team reps during the annual Blue White Practice for the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, it was all he could do to not display all 32 of his teeth over the course of the day — the latest recipient of a multi-year deal from the team.
The 27-year-old landed a three-year extension, $24 million extension on Wednesday, his third contract with the Cowboys, one that keeps him locked in through the 2026 season. It's been a whirlwind ride for him since parting ways with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 and making his way to Dallas that same year.
"It's funny, because I've mistaken how many years I've been here," joked Hooker. "Sometimes I say four, sometimes I say five [years]. It's been that long. As quick as it seems, everything has turned around and we've been together for three years.
"When you're having fun and you're going through the process, and you enjoy the process, you tend to forget and miss out on time. It's been three years [though] and I definitely don't take that for granted."
To say Hooker has earned the right to stick around longer feels reductive in a way, because the fact is the former first-round pick has become a key reason for the resurgence of the safety position in Dallas.
For evidence of this, look no further than the 59-14 shellacking of his former team that saw Hooker grab an interception to go along with a recovered fumble that he returned for a defensive touchdown.
Keep in mind, he was recovering from a fully torn Achilles just two years ago.
He's back to prime form now, though, and he credits the Cowboys for believing in him and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for helping him re-establish himself as one of the best in the game at the position.
"It's special, just for how he revamped me and brought me back to life," said Hooker of Quinn, before expanding his love outward to all involved. "I couldn't ask for more to be able to stay in this scheme and in this system. To be playing with the guys I'm surrounded by — I know I say it a lot — but when I tell you that there's nothing those guys wouldn't do for me and nothing I wouldn't do for them? I really mean it.
"It's special to be able to stay here."
It's only the second NFL home Hooker has known, but he truly doesn't want to be anywhere else — a message he relayed to his agent during the negotiation process.
"My guys, my guys," he said of the Cowboys. "When I tell you that we're really close outside of this football stuff? I knew I didn't want to go anywhere and play with anybody else. This is where I've been calling home these last few years. I'm comfortable here and a lot of the people like me.
"It felt like a family. I wanted to make it mandatory that I stayed here."
And so it goes, Hooker joins Donovan Wilson as the latest safety to be highly-valued and rewarded for their leadership in the locker room as well as their dominance on the field and their professionalism off of it.
"Whether I came here or somewhere else, I was gonna leave my mark," said Hooker. "I was gonna make it hard on them to make any decision on letting me go. I feel like I've done that. Since I've been here, I feel like I've grown to be one of the leaders in the locker room, and someone the guys look up to on defense.
"I don't take that for granted or take it lightly. I'm glad to be able to still be here and be able to lead like I've been leading. … To see all of the hard work I put in to come back from those injuries, and to get back into this space — mentally, spiritually and emotionally — to be able to perform the way I've been performing the last couple years.
"It makes it that much more special to see the rewards being reaped from all the hard work I've put in. It makes it mean that much more to me."
By all accounts, it means just as much to the Cowboys coaching staff, locker room and front office.
