5:55pm: Crawford received a $10MM signing bonus, according to Archer (Twitter link).
5:00pm: Crawford’s deal includes $17.5MM in fully guaranteed money, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
4:54pm: After word surfaced of the Cowboys’ interest in signing Tyrone Crawford to an extension, the team acted quickly. Crawford agreed to a five-year, $45MM pact that includes $27.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Todd Archer (on Twitter).
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound defender confirmed the extension in a series of tweets, including the signing of the contract.
The fourth-year player emerged last season after starting no games in his first two years, one of which was derailed by a season-ending injury, and became a dependable defensive tackle for the Cowboys.
The 25-year-old Crawford is coming off a year where he rated as Pro Football Focus’ 15th-best defensive tackle out of 81 graded. Playing the 3-technique job in Rod Marinelli‘s 4-3 scheme, Crawford only recorded three sacks last season, but will now be supplemented by stronger edge-rushing talent in Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory, which points toward that figure increasing this season.
Crawford’s $9MM-per-year salary that will come from this extension rates him firmly as the seventh-highest-paid 4-3 defensive tackle, coming in just behind the eight-figure club that begins with Ndamukong Suh and ends with Kyle Williams.
Illustrating what the team believes could be ahead for its 2012 third-round pick, Crawford will earn a salary, however, that will place him well ahead of the next tier, with the Colts’ Arthur Jones next on that list at $6.6MM per season.