The Cowboys were thought to have let Randy Gregory get away once upon a time. But now the Denver Broncos have willingly sent him packing.
The 30-year-old defensive end/outside linebacker is being released by Denver, apparently after making the request himself. The move comes after the Broncos wooed him away from Dallas’s negotiating table with a 5-year, $70 million contract in March 2022. Gregory ended up making just 10 game appearances with the club.
Dallas’s front office was on the cusp of re-signing the former second-round draft pick last spring and, in fact, had even announced his imminent return through official channels. But within hours of that news being made public, Gregory changed his mind.
The rub apparently came over contract language that he claims hadn’t been specifically discussed. Gregory reportedly bristled over what he felt was a loophole that could, according to his agent, allow the Cowboys to withhold payments for almost any reason; the Nebraska product pivoted to sign a deal with Denver that was identical in dollars but minus that provision.
Gregory never fully caught on in the Mile High City. He recorded nine tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles over a hot first four games in 2022, but then a knee injury caused him to sit out the next nine contests. He returned to duty in mid-December, adding just three more tackles over two more appearances.
He played no more than 47 snaps in any of the Broncos’ four games thus far this season and was pulled from the starting lineup this past Sunday versus Chicago. He’s totaled nine tackles and one sack thus far in 2023.
Sources: Broncos are releasing LB Randy Gregory. The team wants to focus on young players. Gregory will be a free agent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 4, 2023
Though he entered the league over eight years ago, Gregory has played in a mere 60 games, a result of various injuries as well as multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s now-outdated substance abuse policy. The Cowboys famously stuck with him through his darkest days, and owner Jerry Jones was said to be “livid” over losing him last year.
But now Denver has moved on, too, said to be favoring a movement toward younger players. Mike Klis of Denver’s 9NEWS reports that Gregory, seeing the writing on the wall, asked yesterday to be released.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Gregory’s $14 million base salary this season is fully guaranteed, as is another $5 million next season. He becomes a free agent and can test the market to sign with any team that wants him.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[mm-video type=video id=01hbve9nembrcz1vbs64 playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hbve9nembrcz1vbs64/01hbve9nembrcz1vbs64-65e3d9d6f587266e503467ebaeb48b07.jpg]
[lawrence-newsletter]