Rolando McClain Re-Signs with Cowboys: Latest Contract Details and Reaction

In 2014, linebacker Rolando McClain went from out of football to one of the most pleasant surprises on the Dallas Cowboys defense. Back on the free-agent market after fulfilling his one-year obligation to Dallas, McClain has decided to reward the team's good faith with some of his own.

McClain and the Cowboys agreed to a one-year deal on Wednesday.

ESPN's Ed Werder first reported the deal, while Nick Eatman of Cowboys.com confirmed the report. The team announced the deal later Wednesday.

ESPN Dallas' Todd Archer reported the McClain's base salary will be worth $750,000, with the opportunity to earn up to $3 million with signing, workout and roster bonuses.

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported that the New England Patriots also offered a similar deal to the one McClain signed in Dallas.

McClain, 25, recorded 87 tackles and one sack in 13 games (12 starts) last season. A former first-round pick out of Alabama, McClain flamed out in Oakland amid off-field troubles and disappointing on-field results. The Raiders released him in 2013, after which he briefly signed with the Baltimore Ravens before announcing a bizarre retirement.

McClain sat out of football in 2013, eventually making a comeback after being traded to Dallas. While not a Pro Bowler, the former Alabama star showed flashes of what made him the No. 8 overall pick in 2010.

Pro Football Focus' advanced metrics ranked McClain the best run-stopping inside linebacker in football last season. He was also considered elite as a pass-rusher and came away well above average in PFF's tackling and coverage metrics.

Perhaps the only thing that kept McClain from postseason honors was the injury bug. He missed three games and battled through a number of ailments all season; he was held to just one tackle in the Cowboys' divisional-round loss to the Green Bay Packers due to an injury.

“I look at anything that he dealt with injury-wise as a part of the rehabbing of getting back in the groove in the NFL,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told Clarence Hill of Bleacher Report. “I don’t mean to minimize what he played with, but still all of that has a chance to be better as he goes along and plays. Just a question of having to adjust and being out [of football] 18 months.”

The Cowboys are hoping his off-the-field issues are a thing of the past. McClain has been arrested no fewer than three times since 2011, including a 2013 arrest for disorderly conduct that preceded his abrupt retirement. He also had issues in Oakland getting along with teammates and the coaching staff.

While none of those problems have cropped up yet, Dallas is banking on the familiarity and the trust built last season to keep it that way. It was always unlikely McClain would find a long-term deal on the open market—or at least one that pays him a high-guarantee total. Natural curiosity will make coaches want McClain to prove 2014 wasn't a fluke—both on and off of the field.

If it wasn't, McClain may find himself again among the NFL's best values.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.