The Dallas Cowboys had wanted to have a deal for defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford before their National Football League (NFL) season opener and they did last Saturday when he signed a five-year extension contract worth $45.67 million.
Crawford's deal includes $17.4 million fully guaranteed plus a $10 million signing bonus, according to a report by ESPN.
The 25-year-old was set to enter the final year of his $2.74 million rookie deal which could have earned him $675,000 in base salary and will make him an unrestricted free agent following the 2015 season.
But the Cowboys wanted to keep Crawford following a great comeback last season that earned him the Ed Block Courage Award after missing the entire 2013 season due to a torn achilles.
Crawford shone as an under tackle in the 2014 season under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
Last season, Crawford had three sacks and ranked second in the team with 29 quarterback hurries.
"I think everybody knows how much I love Dallas, love this team, love this organization, love the ownership, my teammates," Crawford said Friday, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones also said last Friday that Crawford "represents everything that we want to wear the star."
Jones added that Crawford is a solid player who plays the game the way they want to and is a better guy off the field.
"He's really shown us everything that we need to see to know that he can be one of the elite under tackles in this league," Jones stated.
Crawford and the Cowboys began their 2015 season on a good note as they rallied to defeat the New York Giants at the AT&T Stadium, 27–26.
In Sunday's win over New York, Crawford recorded three total tackles and one sack.
Following the win over the Giants, the Cowboys will head to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 20 for their next game.
