The Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence will earn a guaranteed $17.1 million in 2018.
The Dallas Cowboys placed the franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence on Monday, and the Pro Bowl defensive end quickly signed the one-year contract that guarantees him $17.1 million in 2018.
The Cowboys had until Tuesday to put the tag on Lawrence, who can still sign a long-term deal with the club. Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, wrote on Twitter that his client signed the deal.
Lawrence tied All-Pro Calais Campbell of Jacksonville for second in the NFL with 14½ sacks last season. The 25-year-old’s breakout year came after he struggled with injuries most of his first three seasons.
On the one-year contract, Lawrence’s salary would be the average of the NFL’s five highestpaid defensive ends. In other NFL news: • The Oakland Raiders released pass rusher Aldon Smith after his latest run-in with the law.
The Raiders retained Smith’s contractual rights even as he spent the past two seasons on the NFL’s suspended list for violations of the league’s substance abuse and personal conduct policies. But the team decided finally to cut ties one day after San Francisco police said authorities were searching for Smith in connection with a domestic violence allegation.
Smith was one of the league’s top pass rushers before off-field problems derailed his career. He set an NFL record with 33½ sacks his first two seasons after being drafted in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.
• Veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons. An All-Pro with San Diego in 2007, when he led the league with 10 interceptions, Cromartie was one of the NFL’s best cover cornerbacks for much of his career, making four Pro Bowls.
Alvarez tests positive for drug
Middleweight boxer Canelo Alvarez tested positive for a banned drug, and his promoters blame contaminated meat.
A voluntary test showed Alvarez had traces of clenbuterol. A statement from Golden Boy Promotions said the amount was consistent with meat contamination that has impacted athletes in Mexico and China.
Alvarez is scheduled for a rematch with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on May 5 in Las Vegas, a highly anticipated fight after their draw last year.
Alvarez will move his training camp from Mexico to the United States and submit to additional tests, Golden Boy said.
Pitaro named ESPN president
The Walt Disney Co. has stayed inside the family to choose consumer products chief James Pitaro as the new ESPN president.
Pitaro replaces John Skipper, who resigned suddenly in December to deal with a substance abuse problem. Pitaro takes over a wide-ranging sports network that is fighting back against cord cutters and is about to launch a new streaming service together with an all-encompassing new app.
State, city sue over Crew’s move
The Ohio attorney general and the city of Columbus have sued MLS and Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt to stop a proposed move to Austin.
The lawsuit cites a law enacted after the original Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996 that prohibits sports teams that have received public money from moving unless certain conditions are met.
The law says Ohio sports teams using publicly supported facilities must provide six months of advance notice of a move. They also must allow cities or residents near sports facilities a chance to buy the team.