DeMarcus Ware Retires As A Cowboy After Signing One-Day Contract
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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - DeMarcus Ware has retired as a member of the Dallas Cowboys after signing a one-day contract with the club on Monday.
The team made the announcement in a press conference with Ware before they held their scheduled pre-draft presser.
"It still feels like home ... Because it's a solid organization," Ware said of the Cowboys. "I just want thank Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones, this organization for bringing me back home. This right here is a lifetime opportunity as a kid ... you usually don't think about when you're sitting back in the back yard and you're playing for America's team. Yeah, you're playing for America's team, but you've etched yourself in the star's history. And that means something to me."
"This is a once in a generation type player," said head coach Jason Garrett. "They're going to give him a Hall of Fame jacket in five years, I know that."
The defensive end was also quick to thank Cowboys nation, saying, "one thing that always sticks out is the fans here with the Dallas Cowboys. You think about when you go to those away games ... they make those games feel like home. And when they're at home ... there's a 100,000 of them ready to jump on you. And that's what you call a 12th man."
The four-time first team All-Pro played 12 seasons in the NFL, but could he have played a 13th?
Ware said there was interest from some teams including the Cowboys about playing in 2017, and he did contemplate putting the pads back on. However, he ultimately decided to walk away with his health and to spend more time with family.
So what's next for the surefire Hall of Famer? Ware said he'd be open to helping coach the defensive linemen if Coach Garrett and the Joneses wanted him to.
The 34-year-old spent his first nine seasons in Dallas and the last three in Denver, where he won a Super Bowl in 2016. The Troy University product played in 141 games in a Cowboys' uniform, amassing 117 sacks and 444 total tackles. He was drafted by the Cowboys with the 11th pick in the 2005 NFL draft.
