Randy Gregory's agent calls out Dallas Cowboys following contract debacle

Former Cowboys defensive lineman Randy Gregory did not re-sign with the Cowboys after they presented an altered contract, his agent explained. The Cowboys had secured Gregory’s interest in staying with the team, only to break the trust Gregory had with the organization upon seeing his amended contract that was not agreed to initially.

Gregory’s agent, Peter Schaffer, spoke with Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio about the situation. Schaffer indicated that Gregory was not going to comment initially until somebody from the Cowboys organization leaked details about what broke down in negotiations.

Randy Gregory’s agent explains contract issue

As Tuesday’s free agency shuffle progressed on Tuesday, initial reports came out that the Cowboys had secured a new contract for Gregory — a rising star on the defensive line. Before fans even had a chance to celebrate the news however, it was reported that Gregory would be signing with the Denver Broncos instead.

Reports indicated that a deal was in place with Dallas, but broke down because the agreed-upon deal was altered. Adding to news that Gregory was upset with Dallas was a report that the Broncos’ contract offer was identical to the Cowboys’ offer — indicating that the issue wasn’t about money. To further sting the Cowboys, Denver posted on social media mocking the Cowboys’ announcement that Gregory would be staying.

Schaffer told Florio that the Broncos had a tentative agreement with Gregory on Monday night, but the Cowboys got involved after they learned of the deal.

“Owner and G.M. Jerry Jones got Gregory on the phone to make the pitch,” said Florio. “The Cowboys increased their offer to match Denver’s. As Schaffer tells it, the Cowboys told Gregory, ‘We love you, we will support you. This is the best place for you. We know who you are.’”

The pitch and familiarity with Jones appeared to work as Gregory decided to stay with Dallas. But shortly afterwards came the contract the Cowboys had written up and Schaffer claimed it contained a clause that was not discussed, nor usual. The proposed contract contained language that would erase all guaranteed money in the event of a fine imposed by the NFL on Gregory.

“No other teams have that language in their contracts,” said Schaffer via Florio. “No other teams. Never in 30 years have I seen that language.”

The issue was that the contract was voiding any guaranteed money for only a fine, not for a suspension — which is a common clause in NFL contracts. Seeing the clause upset Gregory who believed Dallas and Jones were genuine in their pitch to keep him. Schaffer asked Dallas why the clause was added, and Dallas answered that it was standard in all of their contracts.

Schaffer requested that Dallas fix the proposed contract and remove the language regarding fines, and Dallas did not budge.

“Adam Prasifka, the Cowboys’ cap specialist and contract negotiator, explained to Schaffer that the clause was included because Stephen Jones had previously told Schaffer that any contract offered to Gregory would contain standard forfeiture language,” explained Florio. “Schaffer tells PFT that none of the proposals mentioned that language, and that Stephen Jones previously declined to engage in negotiations with Schaffer, instead directing Schaffer to deal with Prasifka.”

Ultimately, Gregory was upset with how Dallas handled the situation and felt like he was being set up to fail by his former team. Whether or not the Cowboys would have fixed the language with some additional time to discuss the contract, Gregory did not feel like waiting when Denver was ready and wanted him. The loss of Gregory was absolutely not in the Cowboys’ offseason plans, giving them one more personnel issue to address before the 2022 season.