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Cowboys Release Gerald McCoy

August 18th, 2020 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

It does not appear Gerald McCoy‘s three-year Cowboys contract will make it into Year 1. Following the veteran defensive tackle’s quadriceps injury, the Cowboys are releasing him, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

An injury waiver exists within McCoy’s deal, and Schefter adds the Cowboys are using this mechanism to release McCoy (Twitter link). While a standard release would have cost Dallas $7MM, the franchise will move off this contract and pay out just $3MM.

The former top-five pick was due $9MM in guarantees on the three-year, $18MM pact he signed in March. The Cowboys, however, are off the hook for McCoy’s $2.5MM 2020 base salary and $750K roster bonus, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets. The team inserted this waiver into McCoy’s contract after determining he had a pre-existing quadriceps condition, Gehlken adds (via Twitter).

McCoy is not expected to play this season. He suffered a torn quad earlier this week. The Cowboys have been busy on their defensive line this offseason, adding Dontari Poe, Aldon Smith and Everson Griffen. But McCoy was slated to be a key player for the Cowboys this season. The team has already moved on, with the release showing up on the league’s transaction wire.

The Buccaneers released McCoy last summer, and the six-time Pro Bowler found his way to the Panthers. McCoy played in 16 games last season, registering five sacks to give him 59.5 for his career. His best hope of adding to this total will be a return to health in advance of his age-33 season in 2021.

NFL Trade Rumors: Dallas CowboysTransactionsGerald McCoy

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