Randy Gregory New Cowboys Contract - The 200,000 Reasons Why

Randy Gregory Has A New Dallas Cowboys Contract - And Here Are The 200,000 Reasons Why

Mike Fisher | Sep 13, 2020

FRISCO - The reinstatement from NFL suspension of defensive end Randy Gregory is here. And so now is a new contract extension from his Dallas Cowboys employers.

But why? What is the Cowboys' purpose in adding another year for a player who, promise aside, remains a 2015 second-round pick who has been suspended for 46 games and who has not played since 2018?

And "why'' on Gregory's part, too? Why make a lock-in commitment to 2021 (via a one-year extension) when he believes "It's go time!,'' as he says, which so much potential ahead of him.

There are 200,000 reasons.

Thanks to the suspension lift, Gregory will be permitted inside the Cowboys’ facility starting Monday for the purpose of going through COVID-19 testing. Once clear, he will be able to participate in meetings and get re-acclimated with the team. He has not yet been cleared to practice or play, but per the NFL’s official statement, he will be eligible to participate in games following the team’s Week 6 game on October 19.”

He is also now eligible to collect a paycheck. And because of the league's unfortunate substance-abuse policy, that hasn't always been the case for the two years of his suspension.

So why tack on a year to a contract that was set to pay him $825,000 in base salary? Because his reward for doing so (he'll have a similar base in 2021 with a chance to earn around $2 million) is ... cash now.

Dallas' extension, sources tell CowboysSI.com, converts base to bonus ... and immediately gives Gregory at least $200,000 in cash.

His salary this season, like all other players, is paid weekly. That will be a financial bonanza to Gregory. But after two years of being on the suspended list - two years of not getting paid - $200,000 in cash now is highly attractive.

Gregory recently said of his mental and football readiness, “I am in a good place.” With at least $200,000 cash in his pocket, he's also in a good place financially.

Published Sep 13, 2020

MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.