Cowboys agree to extension, but not with holdout Elliott
The Dallas Cowboys agreed on a $64 million, five-year contract extension with young linebacker Jaylon Smith while the holdout by Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott nears a month since the team reported to training camp.
The 24-year-old Smith’s contract, which includes $35.5 million in guaranteed money, was announced Tuesday. Smith said the new deal was “about being a Dallas Cowboy for life.”
A second-round draft pick by the Cowboys in 2016, Smith didn’t make his NFL debut until 2017 after recovering from a left knee injury suffered in his final game at Notre Dame, where he was an AllAmerican in 2015.
Smith started all 16 games for the Cowboys last season, when he was second on the team in tackles (150) and tackles for loss (five). He played in all 16 games, with six starts, when he made his NFL debut in 2017. He was going into the final season of his rookie contract.
Before nerve damage associated with tearing a ligament in his knee during Notre Dame’s 4428 loss to Ohio State in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day 2016, Smith was considered a top prospect. While plenty of teams wondered if he could play again, the Cowboys took him with the 34th overall pick.
• Elliott won’t face criminal charges after scuffling with a music festival security guard in Las Vegas.
Prosecutor Steve Wolfson said the findings of a police investigation “lacked prosecutorial merit.”
The NFL said last month that Elliott didn’t violate league personal conduct rules and wouldn’t face suspension.
Elliott was handcuffed but not arrested after police said he pushed a security guard to the ground at the event last May at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Cellphone video obtained by celebrity website TMZ showed an event staffer stumbling over a parking barrier after Elliott bumped him.
The guard initially declined to press charges but later filed a criminal complaint.
BRONCOS’ LOCK SIDELINED >> Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock will miss the rest of the preseason with a sprained right thumb.
Lock is competing with Kevin Hogan to be newcomer Joe Flacco’s backup.
Lock was hurt early in the third quarter of Monday night’s preseason loss to San Francisco. The second-round pick out of Missouri was tripped up trying to leave the pocket and landed on his thumb as he attempted to pitch the ball to a receiver.
Lock won’t need surgery. Denver has two preseason games remaining before the season opener Sept. 9 on the road against the Raiders.
ST. LOUIS RAMS FANS LAWSUIT NEARS SETTLEMENT >> A proposed settlement would give St. Louis Rams fans a 25% refund on years of tickets and merchandise they bought before the team announced it was moving to Los Angeles.
If approved, the settlement would end a class-action lawsuit that claimed fans would not have purchased Rams-related merchandise if they knew about the impending move.
The Rams have denied wrongdoing.
A judge gave the settlement preliminary approval on Monday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports legal filings say the settlement could be worth up to $25 million. It would cover purchases made between April 21, 2010, and Jan. 4, 2016.
Steve Stolze, lead attorney in the case, said a website will be set up in 30 days to instruct fans on how to get refunds.
The settlement covers only Missouri residents.
JETS ADD DB KINDRED >> The New York Jets have claimed safety Derrick Kindred off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts, giving them some experienced depth in the secondary.
Kindred spent the past three seasons with Cleveland, where current Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams served in the same role the past two years. The 2016 fourth-round draft pick out of TCU was waived by the Browns in April and claimed by the Colts, who waived him Monday.
Kindred has two interceptions, 12 passes defensed and 148 total tackles in 42 games, including 17 NFL starts. He can play both safety and cornerback.