Getty Gerald McCoy
From locked-in Dallas Cowboys starter to unemployed in 24 hours, Gerald McCoy is the latest victim of the cutthroat business known as the National Football League.
The Cowboys released McCoy with an injury waiver on Tuesday, according to multiple outlets. The six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle sustained a season-ending ruptured right quadriceps tendon during Monday’s practice, the team’s first padded session of training camp.
And it’s because of that pesky quad that McCoy, who since underwent reparative surgery, no longer owns a job.
Apparently, the 32-year-old has a pre-existing condition in his right quad, and Dallas, upon signing him in March to a three-year, $18 million free-agent deal, wisely covered its bases with contractual language.
McCoy will still receive his $3 million signing bonus as part of the pact, while the Cowboys, as Garafolo stated, clear $2.5 million and an additional $750,000 by scrubbing his roster bonus from the books.
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McCoy to Return in 2021?
Speaking before Tuesday’s practice, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he expects McCoy, despite the devastating malady, to continue working with the team, mentoring the younger defensive linemen.
“That was part of our conversation,” McCarthy said, via USA Today. “He expressed not only a desire to be here and be part of what we’ve started here. Obviously he’s very comfortable and this is where he wants to be. That’s exactly what he communicated to me.”
What McCoy told McCarthy matched what he expressed in a statement that circulated through the media Monday night.
“Just want the fans to know I truly appreciate the warm welcome and I’m sorry this happened,” McCoy said. “The Jones family opened their doors to an old vet to have an opportunity to come and help this team win and I was beyond excited to be a Cowboy. I was really looking forward to this amazing opportunity we have in front of us. I will remain the mentor I am to the young guys and do my part to make sure that this team goes where it needs to. As far as my mindset people deal with real life problems everybody (sic) day especially now with the state of our country. There is a lot of pain and heartache taking place right now that all our attention needs to go towards whether it is the pandemic or our fight for social justice. In retrospect what I’m dealing with is minimal compared to that. Therefore this is light work for me. Anybody who knows me knows I love a challenge. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! I will be back better. LETS GET IT!!”
Per in-house reporter Nick Eatman, the Cowboys hope to re-sign McCoy next offseason once he’s fully recovered from the quad injury — interest that apparently is mutual.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL