Cowboys Rumors: LB Sean Lee Agrees to Restructured $3.5M Contract for 2019

Linebacker Sean Lee has agreed to a restructured contract that will allow him to remain with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport notes that Lee will now have a $3.5 million base salary but will have the opportunity to reach the $7 million he was previously signed for based on incentives.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reported Friday that the two sides were working on restructuring the deal. This comes after the 32-year-old revealed earlier this offseason on The Ticket (h/t Moore) that he would take some time to evaluate his future.

"I want to continue to play the game, but I have to evaluate physically where I'm at," Lee said on The Ticket in January. "I definitely have some decisions to make. I'm leaning toward playing for sure."

However, he acknowledged that he understood he would likely have to take a reduced role—and subsequently a pay cut—if he returned. 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch supplanted Lee as the starting middle linebacker last year thanks to a strong rookie campaign that resulted in a Pro Bowl selection.

A second-round pick back in 2010, Lee has spent his entire career in Dallas. He has been named to a pair of Pro Bowls, and the franchise has been to the postseason three times during his tenure.

He is coming off a relatively quiet performance in 2018 that saw he record just 30 total tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks. He was limited to just seven games, though, as he dealt with hamstring issues.

Unfortunately for Lee, injuries have played a major role in his career. He has never suited up for all 16 regular-season games in his nine-year career. He has missed five-plus games in five of the past seven seasons.

Lee's age and injury history have made him replaceable as a starter, but he remains productive when healthy. Not only that, but he continues to be a leader, serving as a team captain.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones made it clear that the organization continues to value Lee even if his best days on the gridiron are behind him.

"We want him back. I think he's a leader on this football team," Jones told the Dallas Morning News back in January. "... And [there's] no one we would love to have back more than Sean Lee. He's special. He's what the game is all about. We've had some of those special people like that over the course of time and he's one of them."

With a restructured deal in place, the relationship will continue for at least one more season.