Jerry Jones: Morris Claiborne has done enough to justify fifth-year option

Irving Cowboy · Jan 20, 2015

Jerry Jones: Morris Claiborne has done enough to justify fifth-year option
Posted by Josh Alper on January 20, 2015, 5:07 PM EST

Cornerback Morris Claiborne hasn’t done much to live up to the expectations since the Cowboys traded up to select him with the sixth pick of the 2012 draft, but owner Jerry Jones suggested that the 2015 season may not be his last chance to make good on the lofty draft perch.

As a first-round pick, Claiborne has a fifth-year team option on his contract and Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News reports that Jones said that he thinks Claiborne has done enough in his first three years to justify picking up that option.

It’s not likely to be a view shared by many people. Because Claiborne was picked in the top 10, the option for 2016 would be equal to the transition tag for cornerbacks in their fourth year. That’s expected to be in the neighborhood of $11 million, which is quite a bit for a player who couldn’t hold onto a starting job this year before missing the final 12 games of the season with a torn patellar tendon.

The option is guaranteed against injury only until the start of the 2016 league year, so the Cowboys could roll the dice in hopes that Claiborne breaks out in 2015 but the downside of paying that money to an injured player who hasn’t played well to this point in his career is a pretty major obstacle to that plan.

______________________

Fucker got his award, so now he's resumed saying dumb shit.

cmd34(work) · Jan 20, 2015

This is more pride than anything IMO.

bbgun · Jan 20, 2015

worth every penny

Midswat · Jan 20, 2015

Wait... were going to guarantee Claiborne 11million?

What the fuck?????

ThoughtExperiment · Jan 20, 2015

Mr.Po · Jan 20, 2015

What qualifies as enough?

This is Jerry trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Claiborne is on the verge of being the biggest bust in Cowboys draft history and Jerry is at the pulpit doing and saying whatever he can to avoid another black mark on his tainted GM resume.

Bluenoser · Jan 20, 2015

What's Jerry supposed to say? After this year we are gonna dump him?

Bluenoser · Jan 20, 2015

Midswat said:
Wait... were going to guarantee Claiborne 11million?

What the fuck?????

I think it is only if he is on the team the year after next.

cmd34 · Jan 20, 2015

Front Office meeting this morning

Jerry: Okay guys let's get going.
Will McClay: Where's Jason?
Jerry: Who cares...We're gonna pickup Maurice Clayborn's option.
Stephen: Hold on Dad, not sure that's a good idea.
Jerry: Look here son, were you named PETA Eggsekatib of the Year?
Stephen: I think you mean PFWA?
Jerry Junior: I gotta go potty.
Jerry: Will, Jason's not here, you gotta take him.

yimyammer · Jan 20, 2015

Bluenoser said:
What's Jerry supposed to say? After this year we are gonna dump him?

Take the same stance he did with players and coaches this season, there is no benefit that I can see to taking the 5th year option when considering the cost of a career ending injury would add an 11 million dollar cap hit to 2016 in addition to not having the player.

Hopefully jerri is just running his mouth and cooler heads will prevail before the actual decision is made.

I fail to see any benefit to taking this option. They can still work out a new contract with him if he suddenly becomes a player and can utilize the franchise tag if contract terms can't be agreed upon.

JBond · Jan 21, 2015

Where is fuzzy lump? His job is to defend morons.

peplaw06 · Jan 21, 2015

yimyammer said:
Take the same stance he did with players and coaches this season, there is no benefit that I can see to taking the 5th year option when considering the cost of a career ending injury would add an 11 million dollar cap hit to 2016 in addition to not having the player.

Hopefully jerri is just running his mouth and cooler heads will prevail before the actual decision is made.

I fail to see any benefit to taking this option. They can still work out a new contract with him if he suddenly becomes a player and can utilize the franchise tag if contract terms can't be agreed upon.

Yeah, I'm thinking he's just trying to build up the fragile CBs confidence. The option doesn't have to be picked up till after 2015, why would you do it now?

Damn Claiborne is the most delicate non-kicking football player out there.

ThoughtExperiment · Jan 21, 2015

JBond said:
Where is fuzzy lump? His job is to defend morons.

CowboysOwn

yimyammer · Jan 21, 2015

peplaw06 said:
Yeah, I'm thinking he's just trying to build up the fragile CBs confidence. The option doesn't have to be picked up till after 2015, why would you do it now?

Damn Claiborne is the most delicate non-kicking football player out there.

They have until 5/3/15 to take the option, jerri is talking out of his ass. Whomever is really pulling the strings over there has demonstrated enough sense to make me confident the option won't be exercised at all but if it is, it won't happen until right before the deadline.

The window for exercising the option opens after the player’s third regular season ends, and it continues through May 3. As one league source recently explained it, teams would be foolish to exercise the option before May 3.

They’d be foolish to do it because the amount of the fifth-year salary becomes immediately guaranteed for injury once the option is exercised. Thus, if a team exercises the option now and the player suffers a serious injury during any postseason games or offseason workouts before May 3, the team would be on the hook for the money in the event the injury ends the player’s career or keeps him out of action for two seasons.

For players taken in the top 10, the fifth-year option equals the transition tender for the player’s position in the fourth year of his contract. (The transition tender is based on the average of the 10 highest-paid players at the position.) For players taken from No. 11 through No. 32, the option arises from the average of the 25 highest-paid players at the position, with the top three excluded.

LAZARUS_LOGAN · Jan 21, 2015

peplaw06 said:
Damn Claiborne is the most delicate non-kicking football player out there.

Is as bad as Mike Jenkins, but Jenkins would sometimes play through it.

LAZARUS_LOGAN · Jan 21, 2015

yimyammer said:
They have until 5/3/15 to take the option, jerri is talking out of his ass. Whomever is really pulling the strings over there has demonstrated enough sense to make me confident the option won't be exercised at all but if it is, it won't happen until right before the deadline.

Which would make sense, because otherwise if Jerry were to come out and say that they would decline Liz Claiborn's option, he would in effect be revealing their draft strategy.

Midswat · Jan 21, 2015

It's just a dumbass comment. I'd rather he keep it simple and say "We need to see more from the player, and were confident we will."

Honest and 'encouraging.'

Saying what he did was just a stupid comment that emphasizes why he alone should never have won that award.

Midswat · Jan 21, 2015

LAZARUS_LOGAN said:
Which would make sense, because otherwise if Jerry were to come out and say that they would decline Liz Claiborn's option, he would in effect be revealing their draft strategy.

I sincerely hope were not targeting a corner round one. Or two.

Everlastingxxx · Jan 21, 2015

Bryan Broaddus ‏@BryanBroaddus 25m25 minutes ago

Had a chance to visit with Stephen Jones this morning and did not get the feeling that a decision on Claiborne had not been made yet.

peplaw06 · Jan 21, 2015

Brandon George ‏@DMN_George 31m31 minutes ago

Stephen Jones says Cowboys "think a lot of" CB Morris Claiborne but will have to gauge his health in regards to picking up 5th year option

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