WEDNESDAY, 7:56am: Melton’s deal can be worth up to $5MM for 2014, and if he remains on the roster through the first day of the 2015 league year, a three-year extension worth $8MM annually and $9MM guaranteed will kick in, says Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter links).
TUESDAY, 10:34pm: The big money on Melton’s deal comes if he is on the Cowboys’ roster at the start of the 2015 league year, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
9:16pm: After the 2014 season, the Cowboys will have a club option to keep Melton for an additional three years, Williams tweets.
8:10pm: It’s a one-year deal with an option for year two, tweets Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram.
7:27pm: The Cowboys are set to sign defensive tackle Henry Melton to a multiyear deal, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Melton himself tweets that he’ll be starting the next chapter of his life “with a star” on his helmet.
Melton, 27, saw his season cut short by injury last season and was only able to play in three games. He was said to be seeking a one-year, make-good contract, but Dallas has instead gotten him to agree to a multiyear pact. In addition to the Cowboys and the incumbent Bears, the Vikings, Raiders, and Seahawks were also connected to the defensive tackle. In the year prior, Melton made 14 starts and racked up a career high 31 tackles with six sacks en route to his first Pro Bowl.
Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) heard that Melton was seeking $4MM per year. Chicago never made Melton an offer, tweets Michael C. Wright of ESPN, as the Bears expected him to field offers elsewhere and report back.