Jay Ratliff is six games into the first season of his five-year contract extension. For no apparent reason, Jerry Jones gave that to him....two years ago when he still had two years left on his previous contract.
The Cowboys could have cut ties this summer with nary a nickle weighing on this this year's cap.
That an $18-million guaranteed bonus that was completely unnecessary. He'll count $6 million against the cap next season IF they cut him after June 1st. If not and he plays, he'll count $7 million.
This is what Jerry got for his money.
After playing a few games last year, Ratliff suffered a sports hernia. This is generally a 4-6 week event, as it was for Terrance Newman. We're now closing in on a full year since Ratliff had his surgery, without seeing him suit out once.
Ratliff does not bother going to Valley Ranch for rehab, conditioning of any sort, team meetings....nothing. He is disconnected from the team pretty much altogether, even though he's officially off the PUP list as of now.
Other than a drunk-driving arrest and a surly appearance at the team kickoff luncheon, we've seen virtually nothing of Ratliff. He doesn't attend the games, he doesn't talk to the media, his coaches, his teammates, or the trainers.
Yet, Jerry keeps enabling Ratliff, telling him it's OK to train on his own and see his own doctors. The two were seen chatting at training camp as Ratliff looked on from the side, but that was the last real contact apparently they've had, other than through his agent.
It's not just disgusting, it's so different from before.
Not that long ago, Ratliff was perhaps the heart of the team. He was the vocal leader of the defense, and one of its top performers. He was a media favorite, even though he was always playfully sharp with his verbal jabs at them. He imitated teammates, played practical jokes, kept everybody light at times, and on edge at times.
For absolutely no apparent reason, Jerry decided to pay an undersized defensive tackle into his 30s with two years still on his contract. This is the dumbest of Jerry's mountain of dumb decisions as the team's "generl manger". It has completely blown up in his face on multiple fronts.
Well, check that. Roy Williams got $45 million from Jerry, and the Lions got a bevy of high draft picks to boot. Perhaps this is second on the list, which seems logically impossible for anyone by Jerry.
Soon, Ratliff will be sent away on IR to count his $18 million for nothing. He'll likely be cut loose on June 1st.
I suspect, or at least I hope, Jerry files a grievance to get a lot of that money back. It seems like Ratliff has been derelict in his obligations to the team to get healthy and communicate with the organization. Then again, with Jerry enabling all along, Ratliff probably has a good case to fight it.
Meanwhile, there's a 3-3 season ongoing that could definitely use a defensive tackle of Ratliff's former ability. And no one seems to know anything about what's going on. Is he healthy? Is he trying to get healthy? Is it a different injury? Does he want to play? Is he bipolar? Is he in trouble with the law? Is it personal? Just what in the name of Tom Landry is wrong with this butthead?
And why does this team seem to always have 4-5 of these contracts suffocating the cap at all times?
al commercial "even Mikey likes it".