Dallas Cowboys sign Morris Claiborne – NFL News
Dallas Cowboys have signed their first-round pick of this year’s draft cornerback Morris Claiborne to a four-year, $16.4 million contract, according to the team’s official website.
The signing comes as an entry pass to training camp for the cornerback as the National Football League (NFL) rules bar rookies without contract from participating in training camp.
Claiborne missed the team’s organised team activities (OTAs) and other offseason workouts owing to a shoulder injury. He is set to join his teammates in training camp after receiving clearance from doctors and contract from the team.
Earlier, Claiborne had said that he was not in any hurry to sign the contract. At the same time, he had maintained that he was not planning on holding out.
This deal comes as a relief for Cowboys as well. They are entering the 2012 season with a new defensive strategy and the role of Claiborne seems crucial for its success.
That is why they had to trade up their pick to select Claiborne – a surprising move for many.
After receiving the deal, Claiborne said:
“I’m definitely excited. I’m glad to get it behind me. Now I can put all my focus on football. I didn’t want to miss any time. I’ve missed a lot of time already. I’m ready to get started. Everything is ready to roll.”
Claiborne’s deal includes a $10.3 million signing bonus and all the money is guaranteed. As is the case with deals of many other rookies this year, there is no offset language in the contract.
It means that if Cowboys release the player before the end of his deal, Claiborne will receive the rest of the guaranteed money while receiving the amount any other team offers him.
By the looks of the things, Cowboys are not planning on releasing him in near future and that is why they did not push for inclusion of offset language in the deal.
Cowboys are heading to training camp this week and although their life in the 2012 season will be difficult in presence of New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football Conference (NFC) East, they are hoping to qualify for the playoffs.
Since they have a special defensive strategy, their on-field performance will determine if they can reach the postseason or fail, yet again.
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