Greg Hardy and the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to terms on a contract, the team announced. Hardy will join the Cowboys on a one-year deal worth up to $13.1 million, but comes with a minimum base salary, Pro Football Talk reports. Adam Schefter of ESPN called it a one-year, $11.3 million deal that could be worth up to $13.116 million.
Greg Hardy, Cowboys agree to 1-year deal
The defensive end still faces a possible suspension from the NFL.
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The contract is built around incentives and per game roster bonuses. Hardy can make as much as $1.8 million for hitting certain sack thresholds, according to Schefter. Hardy will earn as much as $9.25 million in payments made for each game he plays, per Mike Garafolo. The team also agrees not to use the franchise or transition tag after the 2015 season, making Hardy a free agent next offseason.
Hardy has reportedly drawn interest from multiple teams this offseason, but was most recently linked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, a report on Wednesday suggested the Buccaneers were no longer interested in the pass rusher. General manager Jason Licht said the team “didn’t feel good” about the potential signing of Hardy, as reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Adding Hardy would be a boon for the Dallas defense, which did not feature a legitimate pass rusher in 2014. Jeremy Mincey led the team with only six sacks, a void that Hardy would be able to fill -- after his expected six-game suspension for a domestic violence incident last February, a case that has since been dismissed in court.
He remains on the commissioner’s exempt list and will be until the NFL has finished it own investigation of the case. Still, the league said that Hardy is allowed to sign a new contract despite his inclusion on the list.
Hardy, 26, was accused of assaulting and threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend, but the case was dismissed in February due to a lack of cooperation from the accuser. The Panthers decided they were done with Hardy and allowed the him to reach the free-agency market.
In five seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Hardy managed to rack up 34 sacks and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2013. He started just one game in 2014 and spent the rest of the season on the commissioner's exempt list while he appealed a conviction for assault.
With 26 sacks in 2012 and 2013, Hardy is a young, top-flight pass rusher with plenty of potential to be a star in his new setting; however, there is a certain amount of risk as well. The NFL still hasn’t decided if it will punish the defensive end, and if he is given the baseline six-game suspension for a domestic abuse violation, he would be subject to a lifetime ban from the NFL if he commits another violation.
While Hardy’s punishment remains in limbo, his market value has taken a hit. Recently, Peter King of the MMQB stated that teams are wary of a potential six-game suspension for Hardy and the negative publicity that could come with signing him.
The Oakland Raiders were linked to him at one point, but team owner Mark Davis quickly shot the rumors down, saying "False, falser and falsest." San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was also quick to dispel rumors his team was interested in the defensive end.
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