LATEST NEWS: Cowboys Expected to Sign $13 Million Deal with Super Bowl Champ

In free agency, the Dallas Cowboys might choose to sign a Super Bowl champion.

The Cowboys are expected to sign Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. to a two-year, $13 million contract, according to Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. Gay entered the league as a second-round draft pick in 2020 and has been a starting linebacker ever since. The Chiefs have won back-to-back titles with Gay starting at weakside linebacker.

Despite his never-gaudy stats, Gay has been a regular in the Chiefs’ linebacker corps for four years and has now been a member of two title-winning defenses in Kansas City, according to Benjamin. “Even though he’ll likely be among their most affordable homegrown free agents on this side of the ball, it’s probably more likely that they’ll re-sign Drue Tranquill or rely on Nick Bolton.”

Reasons the Cowboys Could Find The Willie Gay Jr.
Despite being a vital component of Kansas City’s defense, Gay is undoubtedly an underappreciated member of the team. The four-year linebacker finished third on the team with 88 tackles in the 2022 campaign.

Gay has 58 tackles in 2023, not a very spectacular season, but he is still a reliable presence. Gay has grades of at least 66.5 in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2021, he was ranked 20th out of all players at his position; in 2022, he was placed 32nd.

Gay has 233 tackles, five sacks, four interceptions, and has started 47 of his 57 games during his four seasons.

Most notably, Gay probably won’t require a large signing fee. According to Spotrac, he is only worth $7 million annually over the course of four seasons, or just over $28.2 million.

The Cowboys would love to sign Gay to a $7 million per year contract, especially since they have a projected salary cap space of $14 million in the negatives, which is 26th in the league, and because they would like to extend the contracts of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

The Dallas Cowboys may sign Willie Gay Jr. to take Leighton Vander Esch’s spot.
With Leighton Vander Esch perhaps out for the rest of his career, the Cowboys should have an opening at weakside linebacker. The former Pro Bowl player has a severe history of neck problems, and in 2023, after playing in just five games, he sustained another one that ended his season.

In addition to suffering a neck/collarbone injury as a sophomore at Boise State, Vander Esch has sustained these injuries in three of his six seasons in the NFL.

Back in November, team owner Jerry Jones offered his thoughts on Vander Esch’s most recent neck issue.

“He’s a crucial component of that defensive unit,” Jones stated on 105.3 The Fan. We simply want him well, and given the nature of his possible injury, I find myself thinking far further forward than what that would entail for the upcoming week or month. Everything about it revolves around what’s best for him.

With ten postseason games under his belt, Gay has now played on a defense that finished second in the NFL in terms of points allowed per game (17.3 points). For comparison, Micah Parsons, Damone Clark, and Markquese Bell, the Cowboys’ starting linebackers at the end of 2023, will have played in 10 postseason games between them.

While Gay’s signing may not be a headliner, it might be beneficial if and when the Cowboys advance to the postseason.