Randy Gregory Heading To Denver Broncos, Spurns Cowboys: Reports

DENVER, CO — Pass rusher Randy Gregory is joining the Denver Broncos, spurning Dallas after initially agreeing to terms Tuesday morning with the Cowboys, according to reports.

Gregory, ranked the No. 10 free agent available by experts at Pro Football Focus, agreed to sign with Denver in a five-year deal worth $70 million, Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV reported. Of that, $28 million will be guaranteed.

The news came as a shock to even the Dallas Cowboys social media team. The team's official Twitter account initially said he'd agreed to remain in Dallas. But ESPN reported that Gregory changed his mind when the Cowboys tried to change some contract language, possibly related to provisions that would protect the team should he be suspended again.

Drafted No. 60 overall in 2015, Gregory served multiple marijuana-related suspensions from 2016-2020. This includes a 14-game suspension in 2016 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, a season-long suspension in 2017, a two-game suspension in 2018 and another season-long suspension in 2019 for repeated violations. In 2020, he was suspended the first six games of the year.

A premier pass rusher, Gregory, 29, is coming off a season in which PFF gave him an 84.7 pass-rush grade, good for 11th highest among edge defenders. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound edge rusher notched six sacks over 12 games in 2021.