Doomsday101
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They reviewed each player on the team’s roster and decided: It was time.
“This was a big-picture roster move,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday morning.
Former Pro Bowl linebacker Jaylon Smith, who has started 56 games for the Cowboys since 2017, was released.
The decision was multifaceted. Smith’s contract, his play and the Cowboys’ young starters developing quicker than expected factored in. The leverage given to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in his first season was also a component in pulling the trigger. In 2019, Smith signed a five-year extension through 2025 worth $64 million with $35.5 million guaranteed, including his 2021 salary of $7.2 million. Smith is still owed that salary this year. But the Cowboys wanted to avoid another contract implication: the $9.2 million injury guarantee for 2022 that would have triggered should Smith had been hurt this year.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy explains ‘big-picture’ decision to release LB Jaylon Smith (msn.com)
“This was a big-picture roster move,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday morning.
Former Pro Bowl linebacker Jaylon Smith, who has started 56 games for the Cowboys since 2017, was released.
The decision was multifaceted. Smith’s contract, his play and the Cowboys’ young starters developing quicker than expected factored in. The leverage given to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in his first season was also a component in pulling the trigger. In 2019, Smith signed a five-year extension through 2025 worth $64 million with $35.5 million guaranteed, including his 2021 salary of $7.2 million. Smith is still owed that salary this year. But the Cowboys wanted to avoid another contract implication: the $9.2 million injury guarantee for 2022 that would have triggered should Smith had been hurt this year.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy explains ‘big-picture’ decision to release LB Jaylon Smith (msn.com)