Cowboys flagged Gerald McCoy’s quad as an issue prior to signing him

Gerald McCoy suffered a torn quad muscle on Monday that will end his season, and the injury may not have come as a big surprise to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys on Tuesday released McCoy with an injury waiver and only ended up paying him his $3 million signing bonus. If that sounds like the Cowboys got off easy considering they signed McCoy to a 3-year, $18 million deal, it’s because they did, and it’s due to some due diligence.

According to NFL reporter Jim Trotter, the Cowboys had specific language in their contract waiver for McCoy about the defensive lineman’s quad. That’s because McCoy previously had issues with his quad, and the Cowboys flagged it during his physical.

That was some good thinking by the Cowboys to give themselves protection, but it shows how little “guaranteed” money is actually guaranteed when it comes to NFL contracts.

McCoy, 32, has only missed five regular season games since 2015. This is his first major injury since his torn right biceps in 2011. If you see the video of how little went into McCoy’s injury, learning that he had a condition that was flagged makes sense.

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