Broncos in the NFL: Record-setting receiver, stud pass rusher from Boise State cash in
Former Boise State wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. is turning a career year with the Dallas Cowboys into a big payday on the free agency market.
Wilson has agreed to a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins worth $22.8 million, with $12.75 million guaranteed, according to the Miami Herald. He’s the second wide receiver the Cowboys have lost in the past few days after the team agreed to trade Amari Cooper to the Browns for a fifth-round pick.
Wilson’s third season in Dallas was his most productive. He posted career highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (602) and touchdowns (six) while playing in 16 games and starting four. The former sixth-round pick has 67 career receptions for 837 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 26-year-old native of Memphis, Tennessee, caught 139 passes for 2,640 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons at Boise State (2016-17). His 1,511 receiving yards in 2017 still rank No. 1 in single-season program history.
‘Tank’ inks new deal
Former Boise State pass rusher DeMarcus “Tank” Lawrence also has a new deal that will keep him in Dallas, according to his agent David Canter. Lawrence signed a three-year deal with $30 million fully guaranteed, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Lawrence signed a five-year $105 million contract in 2019, according to Spotrac. He recently declined the Cowboys’ request that he take a pay cut, leaving many to wonder if he would hit the free agent market.
The Cowboys picked Lawrence in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he has spent his entire career in Dallas, racking up 48.5 sacks, 74 tackles for loss and 17 forced fumbles. He played in just seven games last season because of a foot injury, but he has posted 14.5 sacks in the past three seasons.
Rypien staying in Denver?
The Denver Broncos extended an exclusive rights free agent tender to former Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien on Sunday, increasing the likelihood that he remains with the team as Russell Wilson’s backup.
Exclusive rights free agents have accrued no more than three seasons in the NFL, and they aren’t permitted to negotiate with other teams. Rypien joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He appeared in one game last season — a 34-13 loss to the Chargers — after he was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster in September.
The Broncos are in need of a backup quarterback after Drew Lock was included in the package Denver sent to Seattle in exchange for Wilson. Lock started 21 games in three seasons with Denver.
Rypien was a four-year starter at Boise State. He still ranks No. 2 in program history in career passing yards (13,581), completions (1,036) and touchdown passes (90).
