Jones
ESPN's Ed Werder is reporting that the NFL Players Association is concerned about the precedent the Tennessee Titans cornerback would set by giving up $1.25 million in performance bonus money he earned from the Titans in order to make the trade happen.
Jones is willing to forgo the performance bonus in return for the Titans allowing him to keep the $1.275 million signing bonus he received when he signed with the team. Jones wants to play for the Cowboys and offered the concession in an effort to push the deal along.
The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday that according to multiple sources, Jones and the Cowboys had agreed to terms on a new four-year contract.
But there was no official word from the Cowboys or Jones early Saturday -- three days after the teams agreed to a deal in principle to the deal. The Titans are supposed to get Dallas' fourth-round pick on Sunday and another pick next year for the rights to the suspended cornerback.
Werder also reported that Dallas wants Jones to sign the deal on Saturday because the Titans are going to exercise the fourth-round pick that the Cowboys gave up in the trade on Sunday.
Jones has also agreed to forgo the $6 million in salary he was expected to earn over the next three years under his Titans contract.
The Titans declined to provide any update Friday on the trade's progress. On Thursday, general manager Mike Reinfeldt cautioned that it was a complicated deal.
If the Jones deal goes through, the Cowboys still don't know if he'll play for them this season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he'll decide whether to reinstate Jones by training camp in July and that any trade won't influence him.
Jones has been arrested six times and has been involved in 12 incidents requiring police action since being the top defensive player taken in the 2005 draft. The accumulation led Goodell to suspend Jones for the 2007 season.
If Goodell doesn't let Pacman return in 2008, the Cowboys would get back a 2009 pick. They're also expected to be giving him a non-guaranteed contract, making it easier to distance themselves from him, if necessary.
The Cowboys were an intriguing draft-day topic before the Jones deal dragged on.
With two first-round picks, owner Jerry Jones could be at his wheeling-and-dealing best. Dallas would like to add a younger but proven receiver to go with aging veterans Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn.
