Randy Gregory reminded NFL fans on Tuesday that no free agency deal is done until a contract is officially signed.
Originally, it was announced that Gregory was planning to rejoin the Cowboys on a five-year deal worth up to $70 million. ESPN's Adam Schefter and others reported that Gregory was expected to get $28 million guaranteed as a part of the contract.
Cowboys are re-signing DE Randy Gregory to a five-year, $70 million deal that includes $28 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2022
Cowboys fans were excited to have Gregory back. He is coming off one of his most productive NFL seasons and logged six sacks in 12 games for the team last year. With Demarcus Lawrence returning and Micah Parsons still on a rookie contract for four more years (including a fifth-year option), it seemed likely Dallas would once again boast a top-notch pass rush.
However, just about two hours after Gregory's signing was announced, word leaked out that he changed his mind. He opted to sign with the Broncos instead of the Cowboys, and that marked the first reported deal of 2022 free agency to fall through.
Why did Gregory choose Denver over Dallas? It all boiled down to dissatisfaction with the Cowboys' proposed contract.
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Why Randy Gregory declined Cowboys' contract offer
Gregory's choice to sign with the Broncos over the Cowboys was due to a contract dispute with Dallas. It wasn't about how much the Cowboys were paying Gregory, though. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Gregory is getting the same five-year, $70 million deal with Denver that he would have gotten with Dallas.
So, what was it about? It was about contract language, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport explained.
And so it’s the #Broncos — not the #Cowboys — that are in agreement with Randy Gregory. My understanding is Dallas insisted on contract language that Gregory did not like protecting themselves. So he heads to Denver.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2022
What was the hold-up with the language? ESPN's Ed Werder reports that the contract contained "salary forfeiture language" that is "standard to [the Cowboys] but not commonly used by other teams."
The language in question is likely related to Gregory's history of suspensions. The 2015 second-round pick has frequently violated the NFL's substance abuse policy during his career, and missed 14 games in 2016, the entire 2017 season, two games in 2018, the entire 2019 season and six games in 2020 as a result of failed drug tests.
Gregory hasn't been suspended since the beginning of the 2020 season, but it's understandable that the Cowboys would want to protect themselves given his previous issues. Dallas had been left in the lurch from a personnel perspective by his previous suspensions; the team wouldn't want to be in the same scenario with more guaranteed assets tied up in him.
That said, ESPN's Ed Werder reports that the Cowboys had an agreement with Gregory but "attempted to change [the] contract" after they had brokered the deal. That didn't sit well with Gregory, so he went to the Broncos.
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Why the Broncos signed Randy Gregory over Chandler Jones, Von Miller
The Broncos were tied to a couple of other pass rushers on the free-agent market in Chandler Jones and former Denver star Von Miller. However, they ultimately signed the 29-year-old Gregory instead of Jones or Miller.
Why did the Broncos roll with Gregory? Well, according to ESPN's Ed Werder, Gregory was, simply, Denver's top target among the free-agent pass rushers.
Werder also noted that the Broncos thought they had a deal before the Cowboys and Jerry Jones swooped in to try to keep Gregory.
Source: #Broncos ranked Randy Gregory as top edge in UFA over Chandler Jones. Believed they were close to deal last night, then #Cowboys owner “Jerry Jones recruited the hell out of him.” Cowboys reportedly attempted to change contract after agreement. Broncos became the choice.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 15, 2022
It's interesting that the Broncos would prefer Gregory. He has just 16.5 sacks in 50 career games while Jones has 107.5 in 136 and Miller has 115.5 in 150.
That said, Gregory is the youngest of the bunch at 29. Jones is 32 while Miller is about to turn 33. Perhaps Denver just wanted to avoid paying a massive contract to a veteran already in his thirties who could decline in the deal's latter years.
Gregory has a better chance of remaining in his prime during this contract than Jones and Miller do. But in order to live up to it, he will need to stay on the field.
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How could Randy Gregory sign with the Broncos after signing with the Cowboys?
Gregory didn't actually sign a contract with the Cowboys. He was still a free agent even after agreeing to terms with Dallas.
The first 52 hours of NFL free agency are part of what's called the legal tampering period. During this time, teams are officially allowed to have conversations with agents and players to lay out the groundwork and terms of each deal.
However, new contracts aren't officially allowed to be signed until the start of the new league year. In 2022, the league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 16.
As such, though Gregory had agreed to terms with the Cowboys, he had not yet signed a contract. That gave another team, like the Broncos, a chance to swoop in since Gregory wasn't happy with the deal on the table.
So, now Gregory has agreed to a deal with Denver. It also can't be made official until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, so his decision should continue to be monitored.