'Boys Hand Aikman 5-Year Deal

April 13, 1999 / 5:35 PM EDT / AP

Troy Aikman signed a six-year contract extension that will keep him with the Dallas Cowboys through 2007.

Team owner Jerry Jones disclosed the new deal for his star quarterback Tuesday during a news conference to announce the return of center Mark Stepnoski. The former Pro Bowler was given a five-year, $10.5 million contract plus a $3.5 million signing bonus.

Jones refused to disclose details of Aikman's contract other than to say it is very salary-cap friendly. Neither Aikman nor his agent, Leigh Steinberg, attended the news conference. Steinberg did not immediately return a telephone call to The Associated Press.

"We have extended the contract of Troy Aikman to the point where this franchise and our fans are sure to have him for the rest of his career," Jones said. "We are very pleased this agreement has been completed."

Aikman, who had three years left on his previous deal, has restructured his contract several times before, but he usually added one year at a time. Now he's on the payroll until beyond his 41st birthday.

It's not unusual for teams to sign their marquee quarterback past the likely end of his career. Denver has done it with John Elway and San Francisco has done it for Steve Young. The teams are gambling that the salary cap eventually will go up enough to absorb those deals, while giving them the immediate benefit of reducing the impact of the quarterback's signing bonus on the salary cap.

Two seasons ago, Aikman was fed up with the Cowboys. He was tired of his teammates' off-field transgressions and felt the focus on winning had waned after three Super Bowl victories, something he mostly blamed on coach Barry Switzer. Aikman's patience was really thin after Dallas went 6-10 in 1997.

But the Cowboys reversed their course by replacing Switzer with Chan Gailey and Aikman's attitude did a 180-degree turn, too. He smiled much more often as Dallas won its sixth NFC East title in seven years last season, even though they were ousted from the playoffs in the first round.

"His talent and commitment will help us ultimately get back to the Super Bowl," Jones said. "That's his goal, that's what he's all about. ... Any time you have ever seen him in any form of excitement or frustration it's because of the direction the team was going in his mind toward doing things to win the Super Bowl."

Aikman and Stepnoski broke into the NFL together in 1989 and were a formidable tandem for six years. But Stepnoski signed with Houston after the 1994 season when Dallas didn't make re-signing him a priority.

Stepnoski said Tuesday it was the right decision at the time, but things didn't turn out as he hoped. The Oilers missed the playoffs all four seasons and the team moved to Tennessee halfway through his tenure.

"The whole emphasis on winning is definitely one of the key features that motivated me to come back," Stepnoski said.

Stenoski is a bit undersized for a lineman at 6-foot-2, 265 pounds but he makes up for it with speed and technique. He made the Pro Bowl his last three years as a Cowboy and his first two as an Oiler.

Stepnoski's bonus will count $700,000 against the cap each season through 2003. His annual salaries are $400,000 in 1999, $1.7 million in 2000, $1.9 million in 2001, $3 million in 2002 and $3.5 million in 2003. There are hefty roster bonuses payable in February of 2000-2002.

Jones isn't done dealing, with several more signings likely before the draft begins Saturday. Topping his wish list are receiver Raghib Ismail and linebacker Quentin Coryatt.

Dallas' negotiations with Stepnoski, Ismail and Coryatt have led to an NFL investigation of possible salary cap violations. Whistleblowers say the Cowboys agreed to terms with all three players but couldn't finalize them until clearing room under the salary cap. The team reportedly had about $400,000 before reworking Aikman's contract.