Full Denver contract details revealed for former Cowboys star Randy Gregory

The Denver Broncos pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the week, signing former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory to a massive five-year, $70 million deal on Tuesday. The overall figure is similar to what the Cowboys were offering but with more favorable overall terms.

The Broncos deal includes $10 million at signing and $28 million fully guaranteed. They’ve also agreed to million-dollar bonuses if he’s still on the roster in 2025 and 2026. The contract includes a “potential out” ahead of the 2025 season.

In 2022, Gregory will earn a base salary of $4,000,000 on top of the $10,000,000 signing bonus. His cap hit for 2022 is $6 million and the dead cap value is $28 million. His annual cap hit increases to $16 million after 2022.

It’s a big upgrade for the former Cowboys star and the biggest contract of his career so far. In Dallas, he signed an initial rookie deal for $3.814 million. After the first deal expired, he signed on for an additional year for $1.045 million.

After a rocky start to his career, Gregory put together a couple of solid seasons for Jerry Jones’ squad. He really broke out this season as an edge rusher, posting six sacks, four tackles for loss, and 17 QB hits. To start the offseason, Gregory had surgery on his left knee. It bothered him throughout the year but didn’t keep him off the field.

Insiders reveal why Randy Gregory turned down Dallas offer

ESPN’s Ed Werder revealed that language “standard” to the organization, but not commonly found elsewhere, led to the change of plans for Randy Gregory.

“Source says the salary forfeiture language Cowboys include in player contracts that led Randy Gregory to abruptly sign with Broncos is standard to them but not commonly used by other teams,” Werder tweeted Tuesday as information continued to come out.

According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the exact clause provides the Cowboys the ability to “void or withhold money if player is fined by NFL.” As someone who has faced league punishment on multiple occasions throughout his career, Gregory opted against signing the contract.

Moore also revealed in his report that only one Cowboys player does not have that clause in their current contract: Dak Prescott. His sources also said the team has never invoked the clause.