FRISCO, Texas _ DeMarcus Ware won't play again this season. His remarkable career could be done.
If it is, expect to see him at The Star in the coming months so he can sign a one-day contract to retire as a Dallas Cowboy.
A disclaimer before proceeding further: This scenario could be moot or delayed. Ware hasn't said he intends to retire. In fact, his comment on Instagram _ "Pedal is always to the metal and fuel is still in the tank" _ indicates he hopes to return next season.
Still, when a pass rusher undergoes surgery for a ruptured disk in his back six months before his 35th birthday, retirement is a distinct possibility.
Ware has enjoyed his time in Denver. He's picked up a Super Bowl title and climbed to eighth on the NFL's all-time sack list with 138{.
But his ties to the Cowboys run deep. Days before the Broncos beat Carolina in Super Bowl 50, he spoke about how it was bittersweet to be in that position without the players and coaches he had grown so close to in Dallas.
If Ware decides he wants to retire, the Cowboys would welcome him back to sign that one-day contract. No discussions have taken place along these lines _ it would be tampering _ but there's no need. He remains a favorite of owner Jerry Jones, management and the coaching staff. He will have a place in the Cowboys Ring of Honor and the Hall of Fame.
The player taken by the Cowboys with the 11th pick of the 2005 draft is one of the most dominant pass rushers of his generation. He amassed 117 sacks in his time with Dallas and was invited to seven Pro Bowls in his nine seasons with the club. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in '08 when he finished with 20 sacks. He was named All-NFC three times and was a two-time winner of the Dick Butkus Award honoring the league's top linebacker.
Is Ware, a free agent at the end of this season, thinking about any of this now? No. And he shouldn't.
But the option will be there for him to retire as a member of the Cowboys, whether it's a few months from now or farther down the road.
