One day after rupturing his quad the Dallas Cowboys have released defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. McCoy, who signed a three year contract with $9 million in guarantees, had agreed to an injury waiver that covers quad tendonitis in his right leg.

The full section on the quad in Gerald McCoy’s #Cowboys contract if you really want to geek out. pic.twitter.com/DTyJK0chny

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 18, 2020

Injury waivers are something players sometimes agree to in order to get an opportunity that they would not receive from a team when they have a chronic condition. When that chronic condition is the cause of injury the player loses the standard injury protection that is given to players as well as any guarantees negotiated into a contract. By terminating the contract now the Cowboys should relieve themselves of $6 million in salary guarantees, leaving McCoy just with the $3 million signing bonus he received when he signed the contract.

I would imagine that McCoy will file a grievance though the scope of the injury waiver is pretty broad. The team will gain $3.25 million in cap space this year with the release though I would not expect them to spend it right away if at all. If a grievance is filed for the full $6 million it will count for $2.4 million on the salary cap until it is resolved.