Middle linebacker Rolando McClain has re-signed with the Dallas Cowboys, according to ESPN's Ed Werder on a one-year, $3 million contract with another $1 million available through play-time incentives. McClain was briefly out of football for one season, announcing his retirement only days after signing with Baltimore Ravens to work on his personal life. However, McClain was persuaded to sign with the Cowboys in 2014 on a one-year contract, becoming one of the better deals of the offseason.
McClain, 25, was originally the eighth-overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders out of the University of Alabama. In Oakland, McClain was a disappointment, never amassing more than 99 tackles in a season. With the Cowboys, McClain played in 13 games and registered 81 tackles with two interceptions and a sack. McClain was a steadying force for Dallas, which lost starting middle linebacker Sean Lee in OTA's with a torn ACL.
McClain also had a bevy of off-the-field problems, including a Dec. 2011 arrest for menacing, third-degree assault, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm within the city limits of Decatur, Ala., per Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times. He was found guilty on all charges. McClain was arrested two more times over the following two years, for various crimes.
Before re-signing with the Cowboys, McClain visited the New England Patriots and received an offer from the team, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but elected instead to stay put in Dallas.
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