Sean Lee will have a few options ahead of unrestricted free agency in 2020. The 33-year-old has rebuilt his mark by proving it can be sustainable for a full season – having been active in 16 games regular season for the first time in his career – and make several impact games en route to a line of statistics with 86 combined tackles, four pass deflections, a bag and an interception. Needless to say, the Dallas Cowboys are not ready to part with Lee because he is on the rise, and sources tell CBS Sports that the team will offer him a deal to stay in North Texas.
This does not mean that Lee will not test the market, which is normal since he has never been a free agent before. Linebacker All-Pro is curious to find out about his value in the open market and would like to know what other teams would offer him in terms of playing time, as he could end up again as a turning point for the Cowboys in 2020 if Leighton Vander Esch remains in good health.
To that end, one team he has been keeping an eye on is the New York Giants, according to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com, in a move that would indirectly reunite him with Jason Garrett – the former Cowboys head coach who operates now as an offensive Big Blue coordinator under newly hired head coach Joe Judge. He could also see him following the right end of the Hall of Fame Jason Witten is, Witten himself being open to the possibility of joining the Giants, if they want to have it.
“Who wouldn’t want to play at least one season in New York?” said the source, via Lombardo.
While the verdict is on this issue, given that the Giants have not exactly been a beacon of victory in recent seasons, it makes perfect sense that a body of thinner linebackers in New York creates demand gets married with a solid supply of money and time to play Lee. The decision to release Alec Ogletree only exacerbates the need, which stimulates potential offers, and Garrett will fight to pressure Rhule and general manager Dave Gettleman to throw Lee a uniform.
There is an adjustment for Lee and his veteran soccer spirit in New York, but keeping him away from his beloved Cowboys will not be an easy task for any team, and especially if that team is a rival to the NFC East. It’s certainly not impossible, but the result is that owner Jerry Jones wants Lee to wear a Cowboy uniform this coming season, and the cost to keep it will not be excessive. After all, it was the same player who approached the Cowboys brass – unprovoked – in 2019 to take a voluntary pay cut and do “whatever the team needed” to get him to get things done. north texas.
Although he needs contract extensions on Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper and others (which may or may not include Byron Jones), Lee is not a Level A free agent who will order / demand the type of money that is making a big dent in the massive cap space that Cowboys currently enjoy. It can be easily integrated into the financial worksheet, which makes the selling point to keep him more determined to play than to spend money. As long as he gets quality field time, Lee wants to be a Cowboy.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to listen to all of the serenades from his very first free agency dance, and the Giants are apparently ready to push a little “dough halfway” in front of him.
